Canada PM slams Trump officials after Pete Hegseth trolled teen cadet getting a medal

Mark Carney has accused senior figures in Donald Trump's administration of behaving like internet trolls rather than serious negotiators, as a bitter trade was between the US and Canada shows no signs of cooling down.

The Canadian Prime Minister's comments came after two of Trump's cabinet secretaries appeared to take swipes at Canada's military over the past few days.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image on Monday night of a teenage cadet receiving a medal at a training center in British Columbia, captioning it 'This is real.'

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy went further during an August 23 appearance on Fox News Sunday, dismissing Canada outright as 'a country that doesn't have a military.'

Asked about the remarks on Tuesday, Carney didn't hold back.

'It's beneath their office,' he told reporters, before accusing Washington of prioritizing point-scoring over progress.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)

Why are the US and Canada in a trade war?

The spat traces back to a breakdown in trade talks on August 21.

A day later, Trump slapped a 50 percent tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports.

Canada hit back with its own dollar-for-dollar tariffs, set to kick in on September 8.

Trump had already needled his northern neighbor further by renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' last week, shortly after Canada first announced retaliatory measures.

Carney argued the US was pushing to turn entire Canadian industrial sectors into little more than 'subsidiaries' of the American economy, while threatening to wipe out others altogether, singling out the auto sector as a particular concern.

He called the move 'misguided,' pointing out that US manufacturing itself depends heavily on cross-border supply chains.

"The United States auto industry is made stronger by the Canadian and the Mexican auto industries.

And at a time of big, big change in autos, it's important that we work together," he said.

Despite the tension, Carney insisted a deal was still within reach if Washington changed its approach.

'There's a positive opportunity that has always existed with the United States for a mutually beneficial trade deal that respects Canadian sovereignty,' he said.

'When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions.'

Jamieson Greer told Politico that Canada has more to lose from the impasse than the US does. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

What has the Trump administration said about the trade talks?

The White House has offered a starkly different read on the standoff.

United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Politico that no negotiations are currently taking place, and suggested Canada has more to lose from the impasse than the US does. 'It's more their emergency than ours,' Greer said.

At the heart of the dispute is how far Canada is willing to restructure its economy to keep access to the US market, which absorbs the vast majority of its exports.

Trump has framed the wider standoff as part of a push to bring manufacturing back to American soil and cut the country's reliance on foreign supply chains.

UNILAD has contacted the White House and Canada's Prime Minister's Office for further comment.