Carney Credits Trump With Revitalizing NATO, Pledges Canada Will Carry Its Weight

Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a stunning admission Tuesday in the Oval Office, crediting President Donald Trump with revitalizing international security and forcing Canada to finally commit to meeting its NATO defense obligations.

“The president has revitalized international security, revitalized NATO, and us playing our full weight in NATO, and that will be part of it,” Carney told reporters.

The moment came during Carney’s first face-to-face meeting with Trump since his upset election victory last week. It also followed Trump’s now-viral comments suggesting Canada would be “better off” as the 51st state a notion Carney firmly rejected, but one that clearly rattled Ottawa.

And while Carney shot down the idea of statehood, he couldn’t deny Trump’s influence. Canada, long criticized for underfunding its military, is now pledging a “step change” in security investment, thanks in part to the pressure applied by the Trump administration.

• In 2024, Canada spent just 1.37% of its GDP on defense, well below NATO’s 2% minimum benchmark.

• That put Canada near the bottom of NATO allies despite enjoying near-total military protection from the United States.

“Because we’re protecting Canada if you ever have a problem,” Trump said in the meeting. “It would really be a wonderful marriage because it’s two places that get along very well.”

Trump also blasted the $200 billion the U.S. is effectively “subsidizing” through defense sharing and protection of the Canadian homeland, despite Ottawa falling short on its own defense commitments.

“We don’t need anything from them except their friendship,” Trump said. “They need everything from us.”

Carney, who campaigned as a liberal technocrat, appears to be pivoting in the face of Trump’s blunt America-first diplomacy. His promise to ramp up defense spending represents a stunning reversal of decades of Canadian complacency under the U.S. security umbrella.

And let’s be clear it wasn’t Joe Biden or NATO bureaucrats who made this happen it was Trump.

The president’s unapologetic challenge to the status quo has already forced multiple NATO members to reevaluate their defense budgets. Now, with Canada publicly vowing to “play its full weight,” the Trump Doctrine peace through strength is reshaping the alliance in real time.

“A partnership is important for the future of both nations,” Carney added choosing his words carefully, as Trump’s influence continues to reshape global leadership.

Carney may not be ready to join the United States outright but he knows the era of freeloading on American defense might be over.

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