What to know
- U.S. President Donald Trump called Canada and its leadership “nasty” while defending his tariff policies during a Las Vegas press conference Wednesday.
- Trump said he “loved” Canadian people but criticized the country’s leadership while accusing Canada and several other countries of using unfair tariffs against the U.S.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney said Trump’s comments would not derail trade discussions, stressing that his government’s focus remains Canadian jobs and businesses.
- The remarks sparked backlash online, with some Canadians also pointing to declining Canadian tourism to Las Vegas amid broader tensions with the U.S.
Canadians are speaking out after United States President Donald Trump called Canada and its leadership “nasty” to reporters during a Las Vegas press conference on Wednesday.
‘Canada’s nasty’: What Trump said
When speaking about his use of tariffs, Trump said he “loved” tariffs, and after claiming other countries had used tariffs against the U.S. in the past, he said he was happy to return the favour.
“We’ve been screwed by tariffs used against us for years,” Trump claimed. “By China, by Japan, by South Korea, by Germany, by everybody, by Canada.”
The leader then paused to comment on how he felt about Canada and its leadership, making sure to clarify he liked the “people” but not the leadership.
“Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty,” he said. “I love the people, but they’re nasty. Nasty leadership.”
Trump then continued speaking about how Mexico also used the tariffs against the U.S.
‘You can say nasty’: Carney responds
When asked about the comment during a Thursday morning conference following an aluminum facility tour in Saguenay, Quebec, Carney replied that the comments wouldn’t deter him from visiting the White House for trade talks.
“Last week we had a conversation, and we will surely have other conversations when it’s necessary,” he explained.
He added that Canada and the U.S. trade partners were already meeting that day to negotiate.
“So yes, this is a tough negotiation; we can change the adjective, you can say ‘nasty,’ but this is a question of Canadian jobs, it’s a question of the future of Canadian businesses, and we have a demonstration of that here,” Carney said about the aluminum facility. “From the start our focus has been on what we can control.”
Canadians fire back at Trump’s comments
This Wednesday night comment also did not bode well with Canadians online, with many throwing profanities at Trump.
Aside from name-calling, Canadians also dug deep into why Trump may have lashed out against his neighbour.
“Because our leadership is much more intelligent and won’t bend over to his every whim,” one X user suggested. “He’s not used to people standing up to him.”
Another X user agreed.
“We are only nasty to him because we aren’t bowing down to him or letting him bully us,” they wrote.
Why Las Vegas entered the conversation
Trump’s comment made at a press conference in Las Vegas wasn’t a coincidence.
Canadians visiting Las Vegas declined in 2025 by 17.4 per cent after tariffs were placed, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
The mayor of Las Vegas even told ABC News that she was shocked by the amount of tourism the city benefited from Canada.
“I did not realize until we offended the Canadians — how much of our foreign business came from Canada,” Shelley Berkley said.
Other Canadians felt this provoked Trump.
“Trump is projecting hard,” one X user wrote.
Another X user commented on the absurdity of Trump making the comment in Las Vegas.
“Man, it’s wild seeing that in Vegas,” they said. “You’ve got a massive chunk of local service workers and hospitality staff on the Strip whose livelihoods literally depend on Canadian tourists coming down to gamble, tip, and spend cash… it’s super frustrating for the locals who actually understand where their bread is buttered.”
“When Trump calls someone nasty, that means they are the opposite of everything that he is,” another X user said.
