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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney poked fun at US President Donald Trump during a public address in Ottawa, mimicking the American leaders signature accordion hands gesture to rapturous applause from the crowd.
The light-hearted moment occurred as the 61-year-old Prime Minister discussed a massive C$70 billion clean-energy package, which he termed the functional equivalent of 18 Hoover Dams. While repeating 18 Hoover Dams, Carney exaggeratedly moved his hands in and out, parodying the widely recognised mannerism frequently associated with the 80-year-old US President. After pausing as the audience erupted into laughter and cheers, Carney smiled, told the room enough, and repeated the physical impression once more before settling back into his address. The speech took place against a backdrop of frosty relations between Ottawa and Washington, with trade discussions having collapsed in August. Carney stated that Washington had asked too much and they offered too little and alleged that the US sought to restrict Canadas freedom to negotiate trade pacts globally. Following the breakdown in talks, the US levied 50 per cent tariffs on roughly USD 20 billion of Canadian products. In response, Canada enacted retaliatory dollar-for-dollar levies between 15 and 50 per cent on an equivalent volume of American imports, affecting sectors such as steel, dairy, electronics, and agricultural machinery. These countermeasures went into effect on September 8. In the wake of these economic measures, Carney has actively pursued broader strategic and economic alliances, particularly with the European Union. Discussions have begun regarding a closer framework, including a potential pathway for Canada to achieve associate membership within the bloc. Conversely, Trump has voiced strong opposition to this growing alignment, cautioning that treating Canada as an EU associate could be interpreted as a hostile manoeuvre. This event marks the second time Carney has publicly mimicked the US leader. In June, while recounting a trip to the White House, the Prime Minister parodied Trumps vocal delivery and physical gestures while describing how the President handed him a ceremonial golden key. Recalling the encounter, Carney noted that Trump told him, Mark, I want to give you something really special, followed by instructions that You just bring it. Theyll let you in, before jokingly adding, Maybe theyll shoot you. That anecdote drew amusement from the audience, prompting Carney to remark that the interaction sort of sums up the relationship that we have. (ANI)
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