# Carney Deals with Trump (USA trade war against Canada) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 22, 2026, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478 "2026-08-22T04:39:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/243 "2026-08-27T22:55:34Z")
I think a lot of the US negotiators genuinely want a deal. They want the stability and clarity on which business thrives, and they want the opportunities. Most of them lose with a trade war like this. However, the people calling the shots are the President and his sycophants, so the hardworking and competent people get overridden (if they haven’t already been run over or thrown to the wolves). ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/244 "2026-08-27T23:12:44Z")
If ever there was a time everyone should watch one of John Candy’s last movies, Canadian Bacon, this is it!!! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/245 "2026-08-27T23:23:37Z")
I saw an interview with Sheldon Whitehouse, senator from Rhode Island. Not sure if it was recent or not. He said that the only explanation he can think of for Trump’s blundering with tariffs is that Trump vaguely realizes in the back of his “mind” that he’s a failed president, and he’s now determined to bring the entire Republican party down with him. So he has someone to blame. And he’s going to tank the mid-terms for the R’s It’s certainly a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/246 "2026-08-28T00:32:45Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I saw an interview with Sheldon Whitehouse, senator from Rhode Island. Not sure if it was recent or not. > > He said that the only explanation he can think of for Trump’s blundering with tariffs is that Trump vaguely realizes in the back of his “mind” that he’s a failed president . . . > > It’s certainly a possibility. I wish you were correct, because it suggests that changing events could cause him to change his mind. But he’s believed merchantilist economic nonsense for 40 years or more. From U.S. public broadcasting: [Trump’s Tariff Strategy Can Be Traced Back to the 1980s](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/trumps-tariff-strategy-can-be-traced-back-to-the-1980s/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) I don’t know why people believe in mercantilism, but historically it is fairly common. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/247 "2026-08-28T02:59:08Z")
Few of Trump’s opinions are new, and few people have been so open about them. But the tariffs were an excuse to justify tax cuts, mostly for wealthy people. He hoped to get $3T from tariffs and his Big Beautiful Boondoggle Bill will cost $4T through to 2035, which the US can easily afford because they have made every effort to win allies, interest rates only go down, diplomatically encouraging continued use of the greenback as a reserve, reassure investors by being extremely consistent and not making dicey changes on apparent whim, do nothing rash to increase volatility, encouraging wealthy people and businesses to pay taxes by strengthening laws and bolstering the agencies, and not threatening illegal taxes or increased tariffs on countries that do invest in US securities in lieu of spending more on American products. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/248 "2026-08-28T05:20:57Z")
post withdrawn ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/249 "2026-08-28T12:18:34Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > But the tariffs were an excuse to justify tax cuts, mostly for wealthy people. Trump doesn’t care about the debt. There are a handful of congressional Republicans that need some sort of excuse to only be deficit hawks when a Democrat is in the white house but if Trump turned around tomorrow, admitted that his tarriffs are going to raise virtually no revenue and dropped all of them tomorrow none of them are going to get up in arms about the deficit. Trump started his 2016 presidency with trying to do America first and for whatever reason his negotiations with Canada specifically triggered his bully instincts where he simultaneously assumes he’s stronger than them and can easily roll them and is outraged that they don’t give in to him, which has led to a self-perpetuating cycle of him making greater and greater threats and demands. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/250 "2026-08-28T14:20:32Z")
Sure. It’s not a problem until it is. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/us/politics/national-debt-trump-reaction.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/us/politics/national-debt-trump-reaction.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) Excerpt: “…But when the national debt [topped $40 trillion](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/business/economy/us-debt-40-trillion.html) last week — that’s trillion with a T — the collective body politic all but shrugged. Never mind that the U.S. government now owes twice as much money as a share of the economy than two decades ago. Republicans and Democrats issued perfunctory, my-we’re-concerned statements and promptly moved on. The bond markets were not so sanguine, as a sell-off indicated, but the relative indifference in the nation’s capital demonstrated how drastically the politics of deficit spending has changed in recent years. For generations, the nation’s fiscal imbalance was a constant preoccupation of presidents and members of Congress, a defining issue that shaped the rest of their agendas. Now it seems to be barely an afterthought as Washington borrows heavily to finance tax cuts and spending programs. Both parties are engaged in a kind of conspiracy of silence about the eye-watering numbers, preferring to concentrate on other issues, whether it be the Iran war or the cost of living…” ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/251 "2026-08-28T15:07:21Z")
The effects of the debt itself are a topic for another thread but I disagree that it’s a motivator for the Trump-era tariffs regardless of the actual concern. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/252 "2026-08-28T18:12:54Z")
I agree Trump cares nothing about the debt, much more interested in personal gains. But the tariffs are certainly related to tax cuts. They discussed big tax cuts (on the order of $5T to 2035) and “gaining $3T from ??” in Project 2025. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/253 "2026-08-28T23:32:20Z")
The Chief Negotiator for Canada, Janice Charette, did a CBC interview to debrief Canadians… which will be released tomorrow ☹ Here’s a taste: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x_omh-HlLIs/maxresdefault.jpg "Has the Carney government lost trust in the Trump administration? | Power & Politics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_omh-HlLIs) ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/254 "2026-08-28T23:41:10Z")
I also must give Trump a hand. The Canada Trade War and “Lake America” name change stunt has now taken firm root in the brains and mouths of the American public. Anyone mildly informed, has now heard about it across all the US, the Americas, and Europe. This is a story that has taken on a life of its own on the internet. Gone is the wide scale American ignorance of this war (although apathy can set in later). Wow. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/255 "2026-08-30T04:32:51Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I agree Trump cares nothing about the debt, much more interested in personal gains. But the tariffs are certainly related to tax cuts. They discussed big tax cuts (on the order of $5T to 2035) and “gaining $3T from ??” in Project 2025. They SAY they’re related, but they’re lying. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/256 "2026-08-30T15:23:07Z")
Aren’t tariffs technically a kind of sales tax? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/257 "2026-08-31T06:35:56Z")
Basically, yeah. They don’t usually have the value-added calculation, though. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/258 "2026-09-02T21:10:15Z")
Flunky Howard Lutnick is still trying to foist the blame onto Canada. > **[Lutnick says Canadian minister didn't deny trying to 'blow up' negotiations](https://ca.news.yahoo.com/lutnick-says-canadian-minister-didnt-185451540.html)** > > Howard Lutnick said a Canadian minister did not deny it when asked if Canadian negotiators were trying to "blow up" trade negotiations. > [@](#): > > “Friday at 4 o’clock, the Canadians call. They start adding crazy ideas to the mix. So, I said to one of the ministers, ‘are you actually trying to blow this up?’ And his answer to me was, ‘I’m not allowed to say that.’ And they blew it up for political reasons only,” Lutnick said. Do I sense something conflagrating? I think I might go with what Janice Charette said instead. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/259 "2026-09-02T21:34:23Z")
I think Lutnick might hear a bus approaching and feels the need to get defensive. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/260 "2026-09-03T00:11:31Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Flunky Howard Lutnick is still trying to foist the blame onto Canada. Lutnick is a lying piece of shit. who is carrying out the orders of a different lying piece of shit. That’s really all there is to it. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/261 "2026-09-03T00:16:40Z")
Why are you discussing this? Our current PM had raised the debt to the highest level it has ever been. The debt more than doubled since they came to power and Carney is only increasing it. My point is that if trump is incompetent because of the rising debt and a declining middle class so is Carney. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478/262 "2026-09-03T00:17:30Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Lutnick is a lying piece of shit. who is carrying out the orders of a different lying piece of shit. That’s really all there is to it. Pretty much. Lutnick has been hostile and disingenuous in these negotiations and impossible to deal with. What’s not clear is whether his hostility to Canada is genuine or whether it’s the necessary self-serving fealty to the Great Orange One that’s driving it. I strongly suspect the latter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carney-deals-with-trump-usa-trade-war-against-canada/1032478.md?page=14)