Trump has heaped Mark Carney with praises (Image via X / @WhiteHouse)
Donald Trump is back with his signature responses that draw out laughter from those at the receiving end of it. It has been noted in multiple previous instances that Trump has answered questions directed to him in a rather bizarre manner with responses that did not make total sense but made journalists laugh nonetheless.
Something similar happened during a Tuesday afternoon meeting at the Oval Office. It's been three months now that the US and Canada have been trying to secure a trade deal but that has not worked out yet.
As Trump described Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as "a great man", one journalist asked, "What's holding things up? If he's a great man and you want to deal with Canada, why aren't you?"
To this, Trump replied, "Because I want to be a great man too." This response led to journalists having a laugh at the meeting even though it does not make much sense when looked from a logical point of view. Why would Trump's desire to be a great man like Carney would come between the deal was not further clarified by the President.
Trump was also asked if Carney had done something on his part to further complicate things, to which Trump gave a rather contradictory answer. He said, Carney "is a nice man but he can be very nasty." He further added, "He is a world class leader. He's a good man, he does a great job and he's a tough negotiator."
Even after describing Carney with various types of adjectives, Trump did not pinpoint the exact reason behind the trade deal not working out. As reported by The Mirror US, "Regarding the USMCA (North American Free Trade Agreement), Trump suggested that individual agreements might be renegotiated with each nation or that the agreement might be reexamined."
As Trump was asked about his preference, he said, "I don't care." I want to get the best possible deal for this nation while keeping Canada in mind as well." While his responses did not provide any great insight into the reasons behind the trade deal not working out, it certainly showed that the leaders did not at least fall out publicly and were rather full of praise for each other.
However, Trump's reasoning of him wanting to be a great man standing in the way of the deal working out is similar to some of his past responses, where he gave irrational answers to questions, which in turn raised concerns about his cognitive abilities and general health.
Trump's health has been under scrutiny for a while now, even though the President and his team keep mentioning that he is absolutely fine. Besides the obvious signs of cognitive decline (as experts have pointed out repeatedly), Trump has also repeatedly spotted bruises on his hand, which press secretary Karoline Leavitt has claimed is a result of constant handshaking.
As concerns about the President's health continue to rise, his latest response regarding the trade deal with Canada once again shows how Trump can pull off any kind of reasoning with conviction and a straight face when the ones asking questions have no other option than to laugh.