In the wake of a heated interaction between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, support for the Canadian leader has grown, while Trump’s already low approval rating has dropped further.
During a headline-making speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carney criticized “American hegemony” and announced a “break” in the old global order—remarks that seemed to directly reference the current U.S. Administration—without explicitly mentioning Trump. These comments angered Trump, who told a Davos audience, “Canada exists because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make such statements.”
However, Carney has dismissed that claim, stating he stands by his remarks made in Switzerland—and his resistance to Trump seems to have struck a chord with the Canadian public.
A Canadian nonprofit research group reported on Monday that Carney’s approval rating among Canadians has risen by eight percentage points to 60%, the highest it has been since he became Prime Minister in March.
While the same poll indicates that Carney’s Liberal Party holds only a slim lead over the opposition Conservative Party in terms of support, the Prime Minister’s personal reputation has been bolstered by his firm foreign policy stance amid increasing U.S. threats, which could influence voters’ choices in the future.
This polling data comes as Carney has reaffirmed the position he outlined in his Davos speech, following claims by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the Canadian leader had “aggressively” walked back some of his comments during a conversation with Trump.
“I was in the Oval [Office] with the president today,” Bessent said. “He spoke to Prime Minister Carney, who was very aggressively retracting some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos.”
On Tuesday morning, though, Carney directly denied this: “To be absolutely clear—and I told the president this—I meant every word of what I said in Davos. It was unambiguous,” Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill. “Canada was the first nation to recognize the shift in U.S. trade policy that he initiated, and we are responding to that.”
Still, Carney noted he had a “very positive conversation” in a Monday phone call with Trump, who has taken multiple actions targeting Canada and the prime minister following Carney’s speech. Beyond his Davos remarks, Trump has criticized a Canadian trade agreement with China, threatened 100% tariffs on America’s northern neighbor if the deal proceeds, and rescinded Carney’s invitation to his Gaza “Board of Peace.”
Carney reiterated on Tuesday that while Canada remains open to negotiating its relationship with the U.S., the country must continue its shift away from trade dependence on America.
As tensions between the two leaders have escalated, Carney’s domestic approval has surged, while Trump’s has fallen further this week.
New polling released Monday by Reuters/Ipsos found Trump’s overall approval rating dropped to 38%, matching the lowest mark he has received since entering his second term in the White House. This decline in overall support was accompanied by a notable downturn in Americans’ views of Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, following recent incidents where individuals were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
The poll revealed that Americans’ approval of Trump’s handling of immigration dropped from 41% earlier this month to 39%, a new low during his second term, while 58% of Americans believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is “going too far.”
