JD Vance says Mark Carney 'puffed his chest' to 'out-tough' Trump in leaked audio

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance was heard mocking Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach to President Donald Trump in a leaked audio recording from a private fundraiser in New York. Vance was reportedly heard saying Carney had tried to “out-tough” the POTUS during trade negotiations.

The comments, reported from a recording shared with The Canadian Press, came as the two countries were engaged in last-minute talks over threatened US tariffs. The negotiations later collapsed, with the United States now imposing new 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports and Canada vowing to meet US tariffs "dollar for dollar." 

JD Vance mocks Mark Carney’s approach ahead of trade talks 

Speaking during a private event, Vance first described Carney as a “very sweet guy” and said he had a good relationship with the Canadian prime minister. However, the vice president also characterized Carney’s negotiating approach as an attempt to project strength against Trump.

Vance reportedly said Carney “comes in and puffs his chest out and says, ‘I’m going to, like, out-tough Donald Trump.’” “It’s hilarious because Carney presents this as some victory for Canada when fundamentally, like, they climb down on a lot of issues,” he added. 

Vance also credited Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, whom he described as a longtime friend, for advocating behind the scenes during the negotiations. He called Jivani “a pretty effective advocate” and contrasted his role with that of Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, whom Vance described as a “non-entity” in the negotiations.

The comments came as the Trump administration and Canada were negotiating over a range of tariffs and trade restrictions. Trump had temporarily delayed new tariffs earlier in the week after a phone call with Carney, saying the two sides were close to an agreement, before the talks eventually collapsed. 

Talks collapse as Trump imposes new 50% tariffs

Despite the earlier optimism, the negotiations broke down on Friday, August 21, after Canadian and US officials failed to reach a final agreement. Carney suspended the talks, attributing it to what he described as Washington’s “last-minute changes” to its proposed terms.

“Last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal,” Carney said.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer gave a different account, saying Canada had declined to finalize an agreement under terms reached earlier in the week.

“Despite the US offer to Canada to receive the best treatment of any major exporter to our market, new demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days,” Greer said.

The breakdown triggered new 50% US tariffs on Canadian products, including hockey equipment, some building materials, liquor, and certain clothing. The duties are separate from existing US tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, autos, and lumber.