The transportation secretary does not believe that Canada has a military.
Sean Duffy, the reality-TV persona turned Trump cabinet member, raged against Canada, a strategic U.S. ally, and seemed to imply that the country should be scared of widespread devastation if it does not cave to President Donald Trump’s trade demands.
“It’s a country that doesn’t have a military,” Duffy claimed on Fox News Sunday, adding more bizarrely, “they have record-high euthanasia rates.”
“And so to think that they’re gonna go to war with Donald Trump and actually win that war with the U.S., I think it’s foolish on their part,” he added.
Canada does have a military, contrary to the secretary’s unfounded assertion, known as the Canadian Armed Forces, with 70,000 regular force and around 30,000 reserve personnel.
Duffy was quickly corrected online as many people pointed out that Canada does, in fact, have a military.
“That non existent military that patrolled your skies on 9/11 and were one of the 1st nations to join you in Afghanistan,” one user said.
Duffy also asserted that the U.S. “provides security” for its northern neighbors, but that “they take advantage of us.”
“I think you’re gonna see Mark Carney come to the table very very quickly, because it’s gonna be devastating for his country,” he added more ominously.
“Funny how the country that has fought beside the U.S. in every major conflict for a century suddenly “doesn’t have a military” the moment tariffs get involved. The only thing looking weak here is the rhetoric,” another said.
His comments came as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s erratic trade policy with the country.
The U.S. and Canada entered trade negotiations last month, as Canada tried to set some agreements to reverse or even just reduce the president’s tariffs on the country. But he said those negotiations have gone south due to unreasonable demands from the U.S., including “ threats on French language and culture and Canadian culture.”
Carney said that Canada may need to rethink its relationship with the U.S. given Trump’s repeated threats against it.
“We’ve recognized from the start that America has changed,” he said in an address to the country over the weekend. “We recognize that sometimes, its signature is written in pencil.”
“You’re at war when you’re attacked, and we got attacked,” Carney said.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Canada, repeatedly calling it the 51st state and insulting its leaders. While some conservatives act as though the president’s threats to the ally are nothing more than a joke, Canadians do not view them as such.
Carney said that Canada is now doubling down on its strategy of moving away from trade with the U.S. and expanding its trade with other countries, notably China.
He reiterated that Canada “cannot accept what they offered, and we will not give what they asked,” adding, “We were not prepared to compromise Canada’s sovereignty or undermine our key industries.”
