By Ismail Shakil and Kanishka Singh
OTTAWA/ WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, “aggressively” walked back some of the comments he made during a speech in Davos last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.
“I was in the Oval (Office) with the president today. He spoke to Prime Minister Carney, who was very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos,” Bessent said in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” program.
Carney, whose office did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Monday, received a rare standing ovation in Davos for a speech in which he urged nations to accept the end of a rules-based global order.
After Carney’s speech, Trump revoked Canada’s invitation to join a so-called Board of Peace that the U.S. president says aims to resolve global conflicts. Trump also threatened on Saturday to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if Ottawa followed through on a trade deal with U.S. rival China.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, Carney called on nations to accept that a rules-based global order was over and pointed to Canada as an example of how “middle powers” might act together to avoid being victimized by American hegemony.
Carney, during his speech in Davos, Switzerland, did not directly call out Trump or the U.S. by name. However, the prime minister said “middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”
Many world leaders and industry titans present responded with a standing ovation. Trump was critical of that speech.
“Of course, Canada depends on the U.S.,” Bessent said in his interview.
The Canadian prime minister traveled this month to China to reset the countries’ strained relationship and reached a trade deal with Canada’s second-biggest trading partner after the U.S.
Bessent said on Monday “it would be a disaster for Canada” if Trump imposed further tariffs on Canadian goods.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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