US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Sunday characterized Canada's decision to engage in a trade confrontation with President Donald Trump as a "foolish" strategic error that would ultimately devastate the country's economy.
"To think that they're going to go to war with Donald Trump and actually win that war with the US ... I think it's foolish on their part," Duffy told Fox News.
He argued that Canada benefits from bilateral trade "way more" than the US, and accused Ottawa of taking advantage of American security guarantees. "It's a country that doesn't have a military. It has a country that has a single-payer healthcare system that's failing."
Duffy predicted that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will return to negotiations "very, very quickly" once the full impact of US tariffs is realized.
The verbal exchange follows Trump's remarks on his social media platform Truth Social, where he asserted Canada "wants the benefits of being a State, without being one." Trump also accused the northern neighbor of imposing high tariffs on American agricultural products.
Prime Minister Carney recently characterized the two nations as being "at war" over trade, accusing Washington of attempting to "hurt and divide" Canada through a "miscalculation" in tariff escalation.
He vowed to implement dollar-for-dollar retaliatory measures beginning Sept. 8, following the suspension of trade talks.
While US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer claimed Canada walked away from a nearly finished agreement, Carney maintained that Washington made unacceptable demands.
