Vance weighs in on Jivani trade advocacy and how Carney tried to ‘out-tough’ Trump

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance commented on the recent trade deal with Canada during a fundraising event in Southampton, New York, on Wednesday. Vance claimed that Prime Minister Mark Carney attempted to "out-tough" President Donald Trump during the negotiations. Vance praised his longtime friend and Conservative MP Jamil Jivani as a helpful advocate for Canada.

During the discussion, Vance said Carney presented the deal as a victory for Canada, but in reality, they compromised on many issues. He highlighted that Jivani's quiet but effective advocacy on areas like energy and automobile tariffs played a significant role in the negotiations. Trump announced a last-minute deal to delay new tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles for three days, which followed a phone call with Carney earlier that day.

The temporary reprieve came after weeks of intense bilateral negotiations. The deal aimed to lower sectoral tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles, while in return, Carney asked premiers to return American booze to liquor store shelves. Trump claimed the agreement would reduce tariffs on American farmers to zero.