Trump crudely mocks trans people in front of pro-LGBTQ+ Canadian PM Mark Carney

US president Donald Trump mocked trans people and their rights in front of Canadian prime minister Mark Carney during a meeting in Washington DC.

Former Bank of England governor and centre-left Liberal Party leader Carney, who took over from Justin Trudeau in March and won the Canadian federal election in April, has previously spoken out in support of the LGBTQ+ community, saying a great strength of Canada is that “people can be who they are, they can love who they love, they can live where they are”.

Trump, by contrast, built his 2024 presidential campaign on an anti-LGBTQ+ – mostly anti-trans – platform and since returning to the White House for a second term has invoked a raft of anti-trans executive orders and rhetoric.

During the meeting in the Oval Office between the two leaders on Tuesday (7 October), where the pair discussed US imposed tariffs on Canadian exports, Trump veered off topic to attack the Democrats and tout his administration’s clamp down on the rights of trans people and immigrants.

He claimed the Democrats are “like insurrectionists” and “they’re so bad” for the US, adding the leftist party does not have policies – and which they do they are “woke cr*p” – whilst his administration has “strength, common sense and intelligence”.

“We have strong borders,” Trump stated. “We have no men in women’s sports. We’re not going to take your child away and change the sex of your child.”

Carney sat there quietly as Trump ranted on.

Tensions between the two North American neighbours have been heightened this year after Trump imposed tariffs on Canada and various other nations and repeatedly called for the country to become the United States’ 51st state.

Trump’s self-imposed trade war saw the Republican leader, who infamously called tariffs “the most beautiful word in the dictionary”, make good on his post-election promises and impose a 25 per cent levy on all products from Canada in February, which was set to increase to 35 per cent in August. Trump has also imposed sector-specific tariffs on certain Canadian goods, including 50 percent on metals and 25 per cent on automobiles.

Prior to the trade war, back in December 2024, Trump allegedly offered Canada’s then-PM Justin Trudeau a new job and suggested it could become America’s “51st state”.

According to sources cited by Fox News, during a dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said Canada could get around the tariffs by becoming part of the US and offered Trudeau a role as governor.

When Trudeau warned that such a tariff would “kill” Canada’s economy, Trump is alleged to have replied: “So, your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the US to the tune of $100 billion (£79 billion)?”

Taking to his Truth Social platform in February, Trump wrote reinforced his views on the matter: “Without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true!”

“Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada — AND NO TARIFFS!” he added.

What has Mark Carney said about LGBTQ+ rights?

In April, Carney discussed the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Canada at a political event in Calgary.

Dylan Robertson, a journalist with the Canadian Press, asked Carney if he would protect access to gender-affirming care under the Canada Health Act and what he was going to do about the “the backsliding” on LGBTQ+ rights.

Carney replied that he would defend the rights of “all Canadians,” stating: “We are all Canadians, but we all have different identities and distinctions, and one of the great strengths of this country is recognising that people can be who they are, they can love who they love, they can live where they are, and it’s fundamentally important that the federal government is the defender of those rights, defender of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms”.

Carnrey added “access to health care in Canada is not a business, it is a fundamental right for all Canadians without exception”.

Following Trump’s reelection, some queer US citizens were contemplating seeking asylum in Canada, PinkNews previously reported.

A surge in Google searches for the term “LGBTQ+ asylum Canada” first began to appear on 20 January: the day of Trump’s inauguration.