Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, asked about US President Donald Trump calling Canada "nasty," said he was standing up for Canadian workers and called the US tariff plan a "direct attack on Canadian workers" Reuters.

Trump's words were blunt. "Canada's nasty. They are. They're nasty. I love the people, but they're nasty. Nasty leadership," he said WJTV/AP. He also said Canada had "screwed" the United States with tariffs CTV News. Carney shot back by calling the trade talks themselves "nasty" WJTV/AP.

Tariffs are taxes that a country charges on goods coming in from another country. They make foreign products more expensive, which can protect local businesses but also raise prices for consumers. The US and Canada are now in a fight over these charges.

The trouble has been building for weeks. On July 1, 2026, Trump put new tariffs on Canadian goods. By July 21, Carney said he would consider all options if those tariffs went ahead Reuters. Two days later, on July 23, he said Canada was ready to strike back Reuters.

By late July, Carney and Trump had agreed to step up trade talks, though no date was set for a meeting Reuters. Canada's Dominic LeBlanc went back to Washington ahead of the US tariff deadline CTV News. That was a sign the two sides are still talking, even as the public words got harsher.

In about six weeks, the relationship went from tariff threats, to warnings of retaliation, to an agreement to negotiate, and now to name-calling on top of talks that still have no date set. Each step has made it harder to find a quiet way out.

The broader context here is that Carney's choice of words was deliberate. Instead of arguing about whether Canada is "nasty," he flipped the word onto the trade talks themselves. That shifts the blame to the US tariff approach rather than to Canadian leadership. By calling tariffs a "direct attack on Canadian workers" Reuters, Carney puts himself in the role of protector — a position that plays well politically no matter what happens at the negotiating table. Trump's claim that Canada "screwed" the US turns the tables and gives him a reason to keep or expand the tariffs.

LeBlanc being in Washington suggests the talks have not fallen apart. But there is a big difference between agreeing to talk more and actually sitting down with a real plan. Trump has also brushed off the USMCA, the trade deal that governs commerce between the US, Canada, and Mexico, as reported on July 28. That makes it harder to use the existing rules as a foundation for negotiations.

The stakes are high. The US and Canada have one of the biggest trading relationships in the world, tied together through energy, cars, and farming. The tariffs from July 1 are already in effect. If Canada retaliates, it would likely target specific US industries and aim for political pressure rather than matching the US dollar for dollar.

It is not yet clear whether the stepped-up talks will happen before tariffs go higher, or whether the August 6 exchange makes both sides dig in further. Carney has said he will "do whatever it takes" in the trade war Reuters. Trump has not held back in public. By both leaders' own words, the situation is nasty.