Overview
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday pushed back against claims that he had retreated from comments delivered last week in Davos which, according to a U.S. official account, had annoyed U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney said he had a conversation with Trump on Monday but rejected the assertion that he had "been very aggressively walking back" his earlier statements.
What Carney said
When questioned directly by reporters whether he had walked back his Davos remarks, Carney replied simply: "No." He said he told President Trump during their Monday call that "I meant what I said in Davos," underlining that he had not recanted the substance of his speech.
Carney added that his comments in Davos reflected Canada's response to shifts in U.S. trade policy. He framed his remarks as part of Canada's broader reaction to those changes rather than as a retraction of prior positions.
Topics covered in the call
According to Carney, the phone conversation with President Trump included discussion of Canada's arrangement with China and explored potential opportunities to move forward on CUSMA - the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. He characterized the call as covering those two subjects without elaborating further in public remarks.
Contextual note
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had been quoted as saying Carney "was very aggressively walking back" the Davos remarks. Carney explicitly rejected that description, reiterating to reporters that he had not reversed his comments and that he had affirmed their intent to President Trump during the phone call.
Summary takeaways
- Carney confirmed a Monday phone call with President Trump and said he stood by his Davos remarks.
- The prime minister said the conversation addressed Canada's arrangement with China and prospects for advancing CUSMA.
- Carney denied a U.S. official's characterization that he had been "very aggressively walking back" his prior statements.