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Trump claims Carney lied about trade deal terms, says he 'loves French Canadians'
U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of lying about the terms of the failed trade deal with Canada in a Tuesday social media post.
On Truth Social , Trump wrote: “I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing.”
He went on: “This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec.”
The U.S. president concluded the post by writing: “I love French Canadians!”
His comments come after Carney said on Monday that the French language was seen as an “irritant” by Americans during trade deal negotiations, but stressed that “here in Canada, these are rights.”
I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing. This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I… pic.twitter.com/3XIHLuufiX
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 25, 2026
The PM made the comments at a news conference in Levis, Quebec, alongside Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette.
“For Americans, French language, Francophone culture, Canadian culture, these are irritants,” he said in French. “Here in Quebec, here in Canada, these are rights. So there is an enormous gap between our perspective and the U.S. perspective.”
Carney had also touched on the issue on Saturday, when he said he had walked away from a deal that included “threats to French language and culture.”
On Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer called the accusations “a funny, fake story,” and said the disagreement was over Canada “forc(ing) American tech companies to take their earnings and give a percentage to their competitors in Canada.”
Canada’s laws protecting the French language include Bill 109, passed in Quebec last December, which compels streaming platforms to prioritize French-language content, and the Online Streaming Act, which became law in 2023 and requires such platforms to invest in and promote Canadian content.
The Globe and Mail reported on Monday that U.S. negotiators had demanded Canada drop requirements for American streaming companies to promote Canadian content, including French language content, citing a senior government source.
The report says Canada rejected the demand, which was one of the reasons Carney’s team walked away from negotiations.
The PM concluded his comments on the topic on Monday by saying: “The French language, the French culture is not a funny fact. It is a right.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s Truth Social post about the matter comes amid a series of attacks on Canada from the U.S. president, including a claim that the U.S. is giving “serious consideration” to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America .
The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP( TS: Aug 25 2026, 6:58 AM ET )… pic.twitter.com/X5TxYS8TaV
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 25, 2026
Also on Tuesday morning, the U.S. president penned posts claiming that Canada has been “ripping off” the U.S. “for decades,” with accusations including 400 per cent tariffs on farmers and driving “many wonderful U.S. companies out of business.”
“I deal with many countries, and Canada is easily the most difficult and unreasonable,” Trump added.
In a separate post, he claimed the U.S. has lost “60 billion dollars a year” to Canada over the last 10 years.
These latest comments echo those made by U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Monday , in which he accused Canada of “unfair” trade practices and vowed the U.S. will “fight back” after trade negotiations fell apart last week.
Speaking during an appearance at a manufacturing company in Maine, Vance criticized Canada’s supply management around dairy products and said: “Canada and China have been the two worst countries when it comes to trade policy anywhere in the world.”
He also referred to Canada as a “state” — echoing Trump’s “51st state” rhetoric — though he said the comment was a “Freudian slip.”
Tensions between Canada and the U.S. escalated after the trade deal between Canada and the U.S. collapsed last week. Carney walked away from negotiations on Friday , citing unfair last-minute demands and accusing the U.S. administration of introducing measures that would restrict Canada’s ability to do deals with other countries.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday morning, the PM said that Canada is now “at war” after being “attacked” by Trump’s steep tariffs.
As a result of the collapsed negotiations, 50 per cent tariffs came into effect at midnight on Saturday, impacting $28 billion worth of Canadian goods. In response, the federal government has announced dollar-for-dollar counter tariffs that will hit the U.S. starting Sept. 8.
On Monday, Trump threatened to impose a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian autos , trucks and auto parts from Jan. 1.
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