Trump administration posts combative image as US-Canada trade talks collapse over cultural demands

The Trump administration has futilely projected victory in its trade war with Canada, despite mounting losses for the American public.

The White House's official X account shared an image of a bald eagle attacking a Canada goose on Wednesday, responding to a statement released the day before claiming that "President Trump is finally ending Canada's free ride."

"Canada has been ripping off the United States for decades—and President Donald J. Trump is done letting them get away with it," the statement continued. The White House derided Canada's previous trade commitments as "abuse" and insisted that, rather than negotiate, Canada "chose unreasonable demands, walk-backs, and flat-out rejection."

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What Actually Happened

According to Canadian officials, the trade talks collapsed after the Trump administration issued last-minute demands that Canada curtail its culture, asserting that two Quebec laws protecting the region's use of the French language unfairly infringed upon American industry.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended the talks on Friday, triggering Trump's 50 percent tariff rate on roughly $28 billion in Canadian exports. Carney, in turn, promised to match the tariffs "dollar for dollar," with the reciprocal levies expected to begin September 8.

In a powerful speech delivered the following day, Carney referred to the U.S. as untrustworthy and unreliable, informing the Canadian public that the country would need to forge a new path without its longstanding economic alliance with the U.S.

"The new U.S. tariffs are designed to hurt us and divide us," Carney said. "They're a miscalculation."

Conflicting Accounts of Negotiations

The two nations had spent months drafting a suitable trade agreement—talks that, according to Trump, were fruitful. Last week, Trump told reporters that the countries had reached a deal and were fine-tuning some details. On Friday, hours before Trump's midnight tariff deadline, the president insisted again that he believed a deal could be reached.

Canadian officials did not paint the same picture. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette told reporters Saturday that the U.S. had approached a "red line" with its demands.

"Our culture, our language, is central to our identity, and it is important to exclude that from the negotiating table," Fréchette said, according to The Montreal Gazette. "Even though we are threatened with different tariffs, it won't change. We will stay the way we are."

Carney similarly said that the U.S. had "asked too much."

Trump Appears Unaware

Trump, for his part, appeared not to have even realized he ruined the talks. When asked Tuesday about the late-stage demands blowing up the deal, the president appeared to have no memory of the events.

"That sounds like me," he said, adding, "They have to pay a fair amount. And if they don't pay a fair amount, we won't make a deal. That's fine."

Read more: Trump, 80, Appears to Forget That He Blew Up Canada Trade Talks

Chinese Hacking Operation Breaches Multiple U.S. Government Agencies

A Chinese hacking operation breached multiple sensitive U.S. government agencies, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

The DOJ, Federal Reserve, Senate, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, NASA, and National Institutes of Health were among the targets of the operation. The cyber-espionage campaign also targeted defense contractors, hospitals, power companies, and telecommunications providers.

The China-based Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company was responsible for the hacks, according to the DOJ, which said its clients include China's military, civilian intelligence agency, and its Ministry of State Security. According to an affidavit, the hacks have been taking place since at least 2018. Domains used by two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, were seized by U.S. authorities.