Tensions are mounting between Washington and Ottawa after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent strongly criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney over defense contributions and international trade policies.
In a recent interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, Bessent claimed Canada has long acted as a "free rider" under the protection of the U.S. military umbrella.
Pointing directly to defense spending metrics, Bessent highlighted Canada's positioning near the bottom of NATO's target allocations relative to GDP.
He further argued that Prime Minister Carney's confrontational stance serves political motives rather than economic stability, warning that picking a fight with Washington over trade agreements will ultimately backfire.
Watch the video.
Full Transcript:
Interviewer: “You know, Canada relies on the U.S. for their national security. And before President Trump, they thought they were clever. They put heavy tariffs on American dairy farmers and other American products—maybe 5%, after that 5% import number that they got to, then it would go up to 80%, go up 80%. Meanwhile, we’ve been a good partner to them overall. It was funny, your line, ‘What else are they going to say when they say they are doing okay?’ They really do need our country. What if we said to them, ‘If you get in a conflict with any other country, we’re not going to be there for you’? What would happen to Canada then?”
Bessent: “Well, you know, we’ve had a free-rider problem with Canada for a long time. Prime Minister Carney, after getting a little bit of a verbal beatdown from myself and Secretary Hegseth, said, ‘Well, you’ve got to stop throwing shade to get the negotiations back on track.’ Well, he’s the one who said we’re at war. But I will tell you, Canada had a great military. They were right there at the forefront on the beaches of D-Day. And what the Canadian government has done to the Canadian Armed Forces—if you look at the ranks of NATO spending, they are near the very bottom. They are cellar dwellers around with Spain in terms of their military spending to GDP. And why is that? Because they were free-riding.
And, Sean, I will tell you who is not with the Prime Minister: Canadian businesses are not with the Prime Minister, the Canadian military is not with the Prime Minister. You know, he thinks that he got to office on an anti-Trump, anti-American platform, and it’s not going to work out in the long term. So I hope that he’ll come back to the table. The President had the best trade deal we had offered anyone, and he rejected it for political motives, so—”
Interviewer: “Okay. Well, I don’t think that’s going to end well for him if he keeps it up. Donald Trump is not the right guy to pick a fight with.”
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