U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called Canada a "socialist regime" ahead of newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to the White House and cast doubt about the possibility of the two countries reaching a trade deal.
Speaking to Fox Business, Lutnick described the situation as "really complex" and echoed President Donald Trump's claims about the U.S. "subsidizing" Canada. The official said the neighboring country has been "basically feeding off of us" for decades.
"They have their socialist regime and it's basically feeding off of America," Lutnick added, in reference to Canada's Liberal Party, which won the latest election.
Carney, who saw a large bump in the polls after Trump began criticizing Canada and expressing willingness to annex the country, heavily criticized the current administration following his victory.
In his victory speech Carney called for unity to face the U.S. and warned that the global order known for decades has ended. "As I've been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country," Carney said.
"These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never ... ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed," he added.
However, the prime minister used a more conciliatory tone after landing in the U.S. on Monday, saying "Canada and the United States are strongest when we work together — and that work starts now."
Carney also anticipated that the meeting would "focus on addressing immediate trade pressures — and the future economic and security relationship between our two sovereign nations."
Trump and Carney have already spoken on the phone, with the U.S. President describing his counterpart as "very nice" during a recent interview with NBC News. Consulted about whether he would bring up his intention to annex the country, he said "I'll always talk about that."
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