Let's talk about Canada's Carney calling US ties a weakness.... - Belle of the Ranch

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about Canada's Carney calling US ties a weakness.

The Canadian Prime Minister, fresh off obtaining a majority, gave a speech about the future of US-Canadian economic ties. The content of that speech is causing some big feelings in those who believe in American exceptionalism and it prompted a question.

“Belle, you said Carney's economic policies weren't anti-American, they were pro-Canadian. He just said being tied to us was a weakness as if trading with the strongest economy in the world is being saddled with dead weight. Care to explain?”

Boy, do I. Okay, so first let's go over what exactly was said and then we'll get to why it was said and the key thing for Americans to take away from it.

Carney said, "The world is more dangerous and divided. The US has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression. Many of our former strengths based on our close ties to America have become weaknesses. Weaknesses that we must correct.”

He also talked about how Trump's erratic and emotional decisions regarding trade are causing “uncertainty that's hanging over all of us.” Markets hate uncertainty.

It's important to remember that the last time Carney talked about the US-Canadian relationship in a way that got Trump's attention, Trump responded by saying, "Canada lives because of the United States."

That's American exceptionalism. It's propaganda meant to keep the least informed people in the country chanting USA no matter what happens. The problem is that it's not coming from some guy at a tailgate party. It's coming from the President of the United States.

In an official statement, Trump seems to truly believe that the world depends on the US. My guess is that he finds it relatable via his own narcissism and sense of entitlement. But since he actually believes it, he expects other countries to cave.

This is why the negotiations with Russia over Ukraine failed. It's why the first talks with Canada were a disaster. It's why China ran over him on trade. It's why Iran has baffled him. It's a large part of why his foreign policy has been a failure.

So why does this matter in relation to Carney's speech? Because in just a few months, Canada, the US, and Mexico will be meeting to discuss NAFTA. It's probably pretty important for Trump to understand that Carney will in fact walk away from any review process if Trump starts throwing a tantrum. Setting the stage now to suggest that Canada doesn't even want the deal and sees the ties as weakness is just smart negotiating.

If you're an American and were somehow offended by the suggestion that being tied to the US economy was a weakness, you might want to realize that stability is important to international trade. Trump isn't stable. The message Carney is conveying isn't that the US is weak. It's that US leadership is weak.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.