Trump on Ottawa’s China Deal: ‘China Will Eat Them Up’

U.S. President Donald Trump is criticizing Canada’s positions on Greenland and China, capping a week in which he and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out their visions for international affairs before global leaders.

“Canada is against The Golden Dome being built over Greenland, even though The Golden Dome would protect Canada,” Trump said on Truth Social on Jan. 23. “Instead, they voted in favor of doing business with China, who will ‘eat them up’ within the first year!”

Trump’s criticism of Canada comes after he and Carney both delivered speeches at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week.

Carney said in the speech that the international rules-based order is finished as rivalry between unspecified “great powers” takes over. He accused powers of employing “coercion” to achieve their aims and using tariffs as “leverage.” Carney said that to respond to this new dynamic, Canada has sought “new strategic partnerships,” including with China.

Carney also criticized the tariff threat made by Trump against eight European countries that opposed his plan to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. Trump abandoned that threat while in Davos after speaking with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, saying that the framework of a deal on Greenland had been established. The president also ruled out using force to take over the territory.

Trump had previously said that acquiring Greenland was a national security imperative for the United States to counter threats from Russia and China. He said that elements of the “Golden Dome” project, a new sophisticated air defence system, could be placed on Greenland.

Greenland sits between Canada and Russia in the Arctic and if Russia were to fire missiles aimed at the United States they could cross over both regions.

Canada has previously expressed an interest in joining the Golden Dome, for which Trump had attached a price tag between US$61 and US$71 billion.

Carney has said there have been discussions with the United States about Canada potentially joining the program, but had not committed to participation or a specific cost figure. There were no immediate reactions from Canadian officials to Trump’s social media post.

Trump’s comment about Canada choosing to do business with China comes after Carney’s speech highlighted his government’s push to diversify trade and establish closer relations with Beijing.

During his visit to China last week, Carney broke with the United States on a policy to prevent Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) from entering North America.

The two previous administrations in Ottawa and Washington had placed 100 percent tariffs on Chinese EVs in 2024.

China retaliated against Canada in March 2025 by slapping tariffs on agricultural and seafood products.

Carney announced on Jan. 16 that Canada would allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs into Canada at the “most-favoured nation” tariff rate of 6.1 percent. In exchange, Ottawa said China agreed to reduce or remove some tariffs on Canadian goods.

Trump’s comment about Canada on Jan. 23 followed his decision the previous day to rescind his invitation for Carney to join his newly launched “Board of Peace.” Carney had said earlier this week he had previously accepted Trump’s invitation “in principle” and that he supported the Board’s aims in the Gaza Strip. The prime minister had not formally accepted the invitation.

Trump has generally had a good relationship with Carney publicly, at times praising him as a “world-class leader” and “good man.” These comments have been frequent despite the two men having been unable to work out a deal to reduce the U.S. tariffs placed on the Canadian economy, which is highly integrated with the United States.

Trump’s attitude towards the Canadian leader appeared to change after Carney delivered his speech in Davos taking a thinly-veiled aim at U.S. policies.

In his own speech the following day, the president said that Canada “gets a lot of freebies from us” and that “they should be grateful also, but they’re not.”

“I watched your prime minister yesterday, he wasn’t so grateful. They should be grateful to us, Canada. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” Trump said. He added that “Canada lives because of the United States.”

Carney said in a speech to Canadians on Jan. 22 that Canada “does not live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”

Carney has not yet publicly responded to Trump’s rebukes since the U.S. president rescinded the invitation to join the Board of Peace. The prime minister did not speak to reporters during the two-day cabinet retreat in Quebec City which ended on Jan. 23.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated in one instance which territory U.S. President Donald Trump said is imperative for the United States’ national security. The Epoch Times regrets the error.