Trump says he had ‘very good conversation’ with Carney, but will ‘absolutely’ respond to retaliation with more tariffs
Agency. U.S. President Donald Trump says he had a “very, very good” talk with Prime Minister Mark Carney Friday and that he expects that “things are going to work out very well” between Canada and the U.S.
Trump made the comment while speaking with reporters at the White House Friday afternoon.
“Mark called me today at 10 o’clock. We put out a statement. We had a very, very good talk. He’s going through an election now and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
However, he said he will “absolutely” follow through on a pledge to impose large-scale tariffs in response to any retaliatory tariffs from Canada.
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for Alina Habba as interim US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Pool via AP)
Carney issued a statement earlier and said he and Trump had a “very constructive” discussion and that “comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship” are expected to begin immediately after the federal election.
“The Prime Minister and the President had a very constructive conversation about the relationship between our two countries,” Carney said in a statement.
The two men spoke Friday morning by phone, the first time the two leaders have spoken since Carney became prime minister on March 14.
The call came after Trump said earlier this week that the U.S. would impose a 25 per cent tariff on vehicles made outside of the U.S., starting on April 2.
Carney said he informed Trump in the call that Canada will implement retaliatory tariffs in response to his latest move.
Nevertheless, Trump said earlier Friday that he had an “extremely productive call” with Carney and that the two men found many points of agreement.
“I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, of Canada. It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada’s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Talks between International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick “will intensify” in the interim in order “to address immediate concerns,” Carney said.
He said he told Trump he would be “working hard for the next month to earn the right to represent Canada.”
Carney stepped away from his campaign Thursday to deal with Trump’s latest threats, meeting with his cabinet in Ottawa.
He is also expected to have a call with Canada’s premiers Friday to discuss the trade war.
While Trump characterized the call as productive, he has proven fickle and unpredictable in his dealings with Canada so far, announcing tariffs one day, only to announce delays or exemptions several days later.
Trump was less than complimentary toward Carney’s predecessor, former prime minister Justin Trudeau. The U.S. president frequently referred to him as “governor Justin Trudeau” and accused him of using trade discussions with the U.S. to try to stay in power.
Poilievre, Singh react to call
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, on the campaign trail in Nanaimo, B.C. on Friday, was asked to comment on the phone call between Carney and Trump. He accused the Liberal Party of making Canada “too reliant on the Americans” and promised to strengthen interprovincial trade and trade with other nations if he became prime minister.
Poilievre said it was “clear that the president would like to keep the Liberals in power. They’ve been very good for his agenda, to take our money and our jobs.” He then accused the Liberals of helping Trump’s cause by blocking pipelines, LNG plants, and raising taxes on industries.“Mark Carney and Donald Trump have one thing in common — they both favour taxing Canadian industry,” Poilievre said. “Trump with tariffs and Carney with carbon taxes.”
Poilievre ended his media availability with a message for Trump, which was that “true free trade, without tariffs, will allow both of our economies to separately grow stronger so that we can fund strong militaries and more secure borders, and make our continent safe against the real risks from overseas.”
Speaking with CP24 in an interview Friday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the conversation is somewhat encouraging. However he said that the existing tariffs, and the threat of further ones, remain a concern.
“I think Canadians hearing that will feel some relief that there wasn’t a mention of the 51st state. There seemed to be some respect for Canada,” Singh said. “But I’m most concerned about the tariffs and the impact on tariffs, so my number one priority is; we have to see those tariffs removed, and we have to see them off of auto, off of steel and aluminum. That’s really my focus.”
But Singh added that Trump is “very unpredictable.”
“So really, the question of this election is, who’s going to fight for you and your family in all this uncertainty?”
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