Scott Bessent compares Canada to ‘yippy dog’ in swipe at Mark Carney over trade deal

WASHINGTON, DC: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized how Canada’s managing trade talks with the US, likening Canada’s stubbornness to a little dog barking at a much bigger one.

The tension between Washington and Ottawa isn’t cooling down. On Fox News, Laura Trump asked Bessent what he thinks will happen with the ongoing trade standoff. Instead of a diplomatic answer, he went with the dog comparison.

Scott Bessent says Mark Carney walked away from a deal

"You know, Laura, I had a German Shepherd and there was a Dachshund that used to antagonize her at the playground and it kind of reminds me of that," Bessent said.

He said, "This little yippy dog used to bark away and, you know, for a long time, a 110-pound German Shepherd was ignoring the Dachshund, and then one day she'd had enough."

Bessent didn't stop there. He openly called out Prime Minister Mark Carney for stepping away from what the US saw as a solid trade deal, saying Carney’s move was all about politics, not economics.

"Unfortunately, Prime Minister Carney did walk away," he said. "They were given the opportunity for a great trade deal, and they didn't want it, and it looks like it's for political reasons."

He downplayed the economic consequences for the US, calling the fallout "not much of a hit to us" and describing the likely impact of the standoff as "negligible."

Part of an escalating war of words

The comment is just the latest in a series of sharp back-and-forths between Bessent and Carney lately.

Bessent hasn’t held back, accusing Carney of caring more about political image than about what’s best for Canada’s economy. He’s aimed at the prime minister’s speech in Davos, where Carney publicly criticized economic coercion by bigger countries.

Bessent dismissed that as “virtue-signaling to his globalist friends.”

He’s also warned Carney not to start unnecessary fights as the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement faces its scheduled review; after all, that deal gives Canada key protection from US tariffs.

And he singled out Carney’s decision to ease tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles if China lowered tariffs on Canadian farm goods, questioning whether Carney was actually helping or just posturing for international approval.

Bessent dismissed worries that the dispute with Canada will make things more expensive for Americans.

"I would like someone to show me the statistical significance of the Canadian tariffs on US prices," he said. "I'm happy to debate them." He told Fox News he’s ready to argue his case.

This comes after trade talks hit a wall. Canada pulled out of negotiations, and US officials have been quick to call it a political move by Ottawa, not something wrong with the deal itself.