US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made headlines over the weekend after sharply criticizing Canada’s trade policies at a major economic summit in Washington, D.C. The remarks came while Lutnick was fielding questions from the press about the upcoming review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade deal between the three nations.
Lutnick openly questioned Canada’s ability to negotiate, saying, “That is like the worst strategy I’ve ever heard. They suck. They, look, we are a $30 trillion economy, right?” The comment drew significant attention given that Canada is a long-standing US ally and one of the largest trading partners the US has. According to Semafor, Lutnick also criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent trip to China.
Carney reportedly suggested Canada would accept Chinese electric cars. “Does he think China’s… going to buy his stuff?” Lutnick asked, adding, “China is an entirely export-driven economy. So what did he do? He came back and said, ‘Oh, we’ll take their electric cars.’ I mean, is this nuts?” The remarks painted a picture of Lutnick as deeply frustrated with Canada’s approach to trade diplomacy.
Lutnick’s remarks on Canada point to deeper tensions ahead of the USMCA review
A Commerce Department spokesperson later said Lutnick had been “misquoted” and that his comments were specifically about trade imbalance, explaining that he was “describing our unfair trade imbalance with Canada, explaining how Canada sucks off of our $30T economy.” Many observers, however, did not see the clarification as a significant change from what Lutnick had originally said, and the remarks continued to generate controversy.
The USMCA has been under growing scrutiny in recent months. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced plans to reveal the US position on the deal on June 1, just one month before officials must agree to extend the agreement. This comes at a time when Trump’s dealings with major power players have been drawing increased public attention.
The USMCA was originally signed as a replacement for the older NAFTA agreement and governs hundreds of billions of dollars in trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico each year. Any failure to extend or renegotiate the deal could have serious consequences for businesses and workers across all three countries, making the June 1 announcement a critical moment for North American trade relations.
President Donald Trump has also expressed doubts about the deal, calling it “a bad deal” that needs to be reconsidered. Lutnick echoed this view strongly, saying that moving auto plants from Ohio and Michigan to Mexico to break unions and hurt American workers is “nuts.” Trump has long argued that manufacturing jobs lost to Mexico under trade agreements need to be brought back to American soil.
According to Politico, Trump is reportedly considering replacing Lutnick, though nothing has been officially confirmed by the White House. It remains unclear whether the controversy surrounding his Canada comments will have any impact on his position. The administration has separately faced other pushbacks recently, including a federal judge blocking a White House renovation that Trump had pursued without congressional approval.
Despite the controversy, Lutnick has shown no signs of softening his tone or stepping back from his statements. He has continued to speak openly about his views on trade and US economic policy, maintaining the same direct style that has defined his time as Commerce Secretary.
When asked about his future plans, including a possible run for New York governor, Lutnick said, “I have never considered [a future bid for New York governor], but you know, whenever I’m done with two years and nine months, then I’ll worry about the rest of my time.”
Published: Apr 20, 2026 12:30 pm