U.S. Vice-President JD Vance weighed in on the latest trade deal with Canada at a fundraising event Wednesday, saying Prime Minister Mark Carney tried to “out-tough” President Donald Trump while crediting his longtime friend Conservative MP Jamil Jivani as a helpful advocate for Canada.
In audio from the fundraiser in Southampton, N.Y., which was provided to The Canadian Press by a source who attended the private function, Vance said Carney is a “very sweet guy” and he gets along with him quite well.
But, Vance said, Carney “comes in and puffs his chest out and says, ‘I’m going to, like, out-tough Donald Trump.'”
“It’s hilarious because Carney presents this as some victory for Canada when fundamentally, like, they climb down on a lot of issues,” Vance told the room.
“But the quiet sort of behind-the-scenes story is that this, like, random MP who has a good relationship with us has been a pretty effective advocate,” he said about Jivani.
Vance added there’s “this guy Pierre Poilievre or something” who is the leader of the Conservatives in Canada, adding he is a “non-entity” in negotiations.
The White House and the vice-president’s office have not yet responded to a request for comment.
Trump announced late Tuesday a last-minute deal to delay new tariffs from slamming an array of Canadian products for three days. The temporary reprieve followed a phone call with Carney earlier in the day and weeks of intensified bilateral negotiations.
Trump on Wednesday said it was a “good deal for everybody” and said his administration has a “very nice relationship with leadership right now.”
Multiple news reports have said the deal will see the United States lower sectoral tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and automobiles. In return, Carney told premiers to return American booze to liquor store shelves.
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It’s unclear what else Canada agreed to. Trump claimed the agreement would drop tariffs on American farmers to zero.
Canada-U.S. Minister Dominic LeBlanc returned to Washington Thursday for trade talks with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer ahead of a Saturday 12:01 a.m. deadline to get the agreement across the finish line.
Vance told the fundraiser for young Republican donors that Trump is not going to “bend over to make Canada happy” but he “saw that there was an opportunity here to get some wins for the country.”
“And the whole point of this is to change Canada’s behaviour,” Vance said. “Which they, you know, not entirely, but they’ve certainly shifted in a Trumpian direction.”
The Canada-U.S. relationship was upended by Trump’s return to the White House last year with the president’s tariffs and threats of annexation.
Trump’s relationship with former prime minister Justin Trudeau was famously tumultuous and ultimately helped lead to the latter’s resignation.
The vice-president said Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are leading negotiations with Canada but he’s been very involved — more so than normal — because of his relationship with Jivani.
“Now what’s interesting is (Jivani’s) been like quietly inserting himself into these negotiations,” Vance told the crowd.
Axios reported that Donald Trump Jr. and the son’s of Lutnick and senior Trump adviser Steve Witkoff were in attendance at the event.
Vance said he asked Jivani why he was helping the Liberal government and the MP responded that he cares about whether Canada wins.
Vance said Jivani effectively advocated on areas where there was a “win-win” like energy and automobile tariffs.
The vice-president and Canadian Conservative MP for Durham have been friends since they both attended Yale. Jivani has previously written about their close relationship and that he spoke at Vance’s wedding.
The vice-president noted the close relationship Wednesday calling Jivani a “very good dude.”
Jivani has travelled to Washington on numerous occasions, including an April meeting with Canadian business interests and Greer.
During a previous visit to Washington in February for a solo diplomatic mission, Jivani met with both Vance and Greer. He also stopped by the White House and said he spoke briefly with Trump.
At the time, Jivani said he wanted to contribute to Carney’s efforts to negotiate a new trade deal with the Trump administration.
Jivani’s office did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.
The MP’s outreach to the Trump administration has caused turbulence in the Canadian Conservative Party. Poilievre has repeatedly called for any deal with Trump to be tariff-free.
Poilievre — who did not make a stop in the U.S. capital when he took a trip south of the border in March — publicly rebuked Jivani following his first visit to D.C. after the backbench MP told a right-wing news outlet he felt Canadians’ reaction to the trade war amounted to an “anti-American hissy fit.”
“He speaks for himself and I speak for the party,” Poilievre said on Feb. 17.
You hate Americans so much but thank God it isn’t China or Russia at our border. Americans are our strength in war should our small pathetic army ever try to fight…they would back us..wake up
Everything has right and wrong, so sad to see our young generation doesn’t know the difference anymore !!
How many paid conservative bots can we fit in a comments section.
Hold on, we’re about to find out.
Bahahaha. So so sad.
I used to work in a few countries around the world, and many Americans are known for loudness and arrogance, but these Republicans have lost integrity and added stupidly…
Vance’s mention of Jivani is a direct intervention in Canadian politics with the intention of supporting the conservative party and his traitor friend
So I guess we didn’t get a very good trade deal if they are laughing at caveman Carney.
He’s trying so hard to save face but Vance and Trump got finessed.
Lots of lib women on their periods today it seems.
Pathetic liberals will stand by carney simply because they lack the brain function to see past anything but labels.
Trump is once again going to have his way with us because carney is spineless and way out of his depth. Heres hoping for the 51st!
allow me to make the following admissions:
the sight of vance makes me want to puke,
the sight of trump makes me want to puke,
the sight of the american flag makes me want to puke, i say lets burn the damn thing
Where do the MAGA idiots breed.
Put this guy on the first spaceship to mars,
what a stupid juvenile thing for JD to say. The negotiations are tough- period. So unqualified to be VP.
lol so many angry elbows up people.
Vance is just another pos
Didn’t even have to try, Carney was at ten time the brain compute power than the cheetos man by just idling.
Vance is an idiot.
It’s over folks, Carney Automatically Capitulated Again (CACA), so get those Elbows Down and move on with rebuilding your Sunny Ways shattered lives.
DOES THE CANADIAN MASS MEDIA WARN THE PUBLIC?
VIDEO on YOU TUBE: Health Canada Is Making You Sick On Purpose | Shawn Buckley
Health Canada Is Making You Sick: Constitutional Lawyer Shawn Buckley Exposes the System: There’s not much more that matters in your household than your health. As they say, you have a million problems until you have a health problem, then you only have one.
In this episode, Michelle sits down with Shawn Buckley, constitutional lawyer and founder of the Natural Health Product Protection Association (NHPPA), to break down how Health Canada’s regulatory framework is putting Canadians’ access to natural health products, and their health, at serious risk.
Shawn has spent years fighting in federal court and in front of Parliament to protect Canadians’ access to essential nutrients, from vitamin C to magnesium, arguing that Health Canada’s drug approval model exists to protect pharmaceutical patents rather than public health.
In this conversation, we cover:
How Bill C-63 reclassified essential nutrients into the same risk category as drugs like thalidomide
Why over 100,000 Canadians died on medical waitlists between 2018–2025
How the drug approval process actually works — and who it really protects
Real stories of Canadians denied answers by the medical system, and what happened when they sought a second opinion
What Bill 224 could mean for the future of natural health product access in Canada
How to get involved and make your voice heard through NHPPA.org
This is a hard conversation, but an important one. You deserve better. But only when you demand better.
Just calling the deal before it’s done yet again. Americans are clowns. If Iran, Ukraine, Gaza etc is anything to go by the discussions are probably going in the exact opposite direction. Yawn
This guy a complete moron knows absolutely nothing about Canada and there politics not sure how he even got into office
Not sure who is a bigger clown, Trump or Vance. Oh wait they both are moron’s.
“Alberta out” <— clown
Every time a toilet flushes in Canada a little Vance baby is born.
The only thing I want to see going in a Trumpian direction is my fist
Lol “Alberta out”. Have fun getting scooped up by the US when you’re utterly defenceless! Pathetic “Canadian” that you are.
Oh ya, break Flock cameras, 86 47, etc
“Trumpian direction”
Hey Liberals,your leader,Mark Carney, has shifted to a Trumpian direction.
So I guess we can consider the LPC as “Canada’s True Maple MAGA Movement”.
Now the real question is when will we see the headline “Mark Carney and the LPC declare Canada as the 51st State and transfer power to Trump “
Yep, the country is screwed. Alberta out!
Change Canada”s behavior that comment alone I would cancel any deal. When this is over everyone in the White House who sat there while the President did his one man rule will be held accountable
Tariffs are paid by the country who puts them on they still do not get it. They have a 40 trillion debt they need us for energy and they talk like that. There is nothing in the USA I would want. Will not travel or buy any USA.
If Iran can beat the USA so can we except we will do it peacefully
Very interesting. Possibly the most truthful words ever spoken about Canada/US relations. I’m surprised Global published them.