Lutnick skeptical of cutting deal with Canada's 'socialist regime'
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Monday that he is skeptical of cutting a trade deal with the Canadian government, calling it a “socialist regime.”
“Can we make a deal with Canada?” Fox Business Network’s Larry Kudlow asked on his show "Kudlow."
“I think it’s really complex,” Lutnick responded. “I mean, this is really complex, because they have been basically feeding off of us for decades upon decades upon decades, right?”
“They have their socialist regime, and it’s basically feeding off of America, I mean, the president calls it out all the time. Why do we make cars in Canada? Why do we do our films in Canada? Come on. So, I think … it’s going to be a fascinating meeting, I’m glad I’m going to be there listening, but it’s going to be a fascinating meeting tomorrow. I just don’t see how it works out so perfect,” he added.
Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are set to meet Tuesday amid tensions between their respective countries over trade.
After securing victory in a recent Canadian election, Carney stated that the U.S. president has “fundamentally changed” the world in the last few months, noting sweeping tariffs and a proposal from Trump to merge Canada with the U.S.
“As I’ve been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country,” Carney said in an Ottawa victory speech last month. “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.
The Hill has reached out to Carney’s office for comment.