Trade talks between the U.S. and Canada were disrupted Friday morning after off-the-record comments about the talks that President Trump made a day earlier were leaked to a prominent Canadian newspaper.
According to the Toronto Star, Trump told Bloomberg News during an interview Thursday he did not plan to compromise with Canada at all on a bilateral deal that would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“Off the record, Canada’s working their ass off. And every time we have a problem with a point, I just put up a picture of a Chevrolet Impala,” the president reportedly said, referring to a popular automobile that is currently manufactured in Canada but owned by the U.S. company General Motors.
Trump also said any deal reached between the two countries would be “totally on our terms” because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has “no choice” but to cave to his demands to avoid new tariffs on Canadians-made vehicles. The president wanted his comments to remain off the record because they would be “so insulting” to Canada if published, according to the Star.
[Opinion: By bullying Canada on NAFTA Trump is trading long-term alliance for personal political victory]
White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters didn’t confirm or deny the authenticity of the comments.
“If this was said, it was said in an off the record capacity. I understand you guys have obtained it; I’m not sure where you’ve obtained it from,” Walters told the Star, later adding that “the Canadian and American negotiators continue to work on reaching a win-win deal that benefits both countries.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, who has served as the country’s top negotiator on trade, told reporters after a meeting with her U.S. counterparts on Friday that a deal had yet to be struck.
“We’re looking for a good deal, not just any deal. We will only agree to a deal that is a good deal for Canada. We’re not there yet,” she said, hours after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a statement claiming Canada has declined to agree to any concessions related to agriculture.
The hiccup in trade talks with Canada comes just days after Trump teased a “big deal” on trade with Mexico that would change parts of NAFTA. The president has since said he is optimistic about getting Canada to join the agreement, and wants a deal done by today.
