Fact Check: Did Trump say he would end tariff on Canada if Carney admits Epstein involvement?
WASHINGTON, DC: Trade tensions between the United States and Canada have increased since Donald Trump became President for his second run. The POTUS also regularly uses his Truth Social platform to make tariff threats against his northern neighbor.
Recently, a rumor circulated in the form of a Truth Social post by Trump, claiming that the POTUS promises to end the economic war in exchange for Prime Minister Mark Carney's admission to involvement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.
Claim: Trump said he would end tariffs on Canada if Carney admits Epstein involvement
On Monday, February 2, a Facebook user shared an alleged screenshot of a Truth Social post by Donald Trump that read, "I Donald Trump am announcing that I will drop all tariffs against Canada if Governor Mark Carney comes clean with regards to his many trips to Epstein's Island and his money laundering."
The image went viral on Facebook, particularly in groups opposing the Canadian Prime Minister, and also on Instagram.
The posts emerged as the Department of Justice (DOJ) released more than three million files related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, including his links to high-profile figures.
A review of the files shows Carney's name referenced in documents that do not indicate involvement with Epstein's alleged crimes. An email from a third party offers an invitation to an October 2018 luncheon where the Canadian Prime Minister was the speaker.
Similarly, another email from 2013 mentions a news article that named Carney in the headline, while others detailed a rundown of 'key events on the horizon', including the date he would take up his role as governor of the Bank of England.
Moreover, an image widely published from 2013 shows Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, at an event also attended by Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite connected to Epstein.
Fact check: False, Trump's Truth Social shows no such posts
The claims made in the social media posts are false, as there is no credible evidence to prove that Donald Trump promised to end the economic war in exchange for Mark Carney's admission to involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.
Notably, searches on Trump's official Truth Social account showed no posts proposing the supposed offer to lift tariffs in a quid pro quo.
Moreover, a website that archives Donald Trump's Truth Social posts also contains no record of any such post, with specific searches for the keyword 'Carney' yielding no matching results.
Interestingly, the most recent post where Trump mentioned Carney came on January 24, 2026, and threatened Canada with a '100% Tariff' if Ottawa finalized a new trade deal with China.
Similarly, Trump's most recent Truth Social post, including the word 'Epstein', was in November 2025.
Furthermore, the purported screenshot of a Trump post about Carney and Epstein does not include a date or counts for ReTruths and likes, which would have been there if the post was authentic. The font size also does not match Trump's authentic posts, and the profile picture and name are misaligned relative to the text.
