Canada’s Mark Carney abruptly stops Trump, revealing intense power struggle during 51st state controversy

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney put an end to President Donald Trump’s exchange with reporters on Monday, during the initial stages of the G7 Summit. The leaders commenced the summit with a bilateral meeting. 

This year’s G7 meeting is taking place in the Kananaskis region of Canada, with the newly-elected Carney taking on the role of host. 

Trump quickly expressed his disapproval of the G7’s decision to exclude Russia from what was known as the G8 since 2014. He also criticized Carney’s predecessor, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who shares similar political views. 

‘If you don’t mind, I’m just going to exercise my role, if you will, as G7 chair, since we have a few more minutes with the president and his team, and then we actually have to start the meeting to address some of these big issues,’ Carney said, ushering reporters out of the meeting room in less than eight minutes.

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail that Trump is coming in ‘hot’ from his military parade and is in ‘fully pumped-up, grandiose global alpha leader here.’ 

Carney, on the other hand, is showing a ‘range of expression supressions and fleeting emotions while Trump is in full flow.’ 

The Canadian prime minister started by wishing the president – and the U.S. Army – a belated happy birthday, before remarking that Monday is also the 50th birthday of the G7. 

‘And the G7 is nothing without U.S. leadership and so – and your personal leadership, the leadership of the United States,’ Carney added. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) abruptly interrupted a Q&A session with reporters alongside President Donald Trump (left) during their bilateral meeting to kick off the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada on Monday 

During an appearance in front of the press that lasted less than eight minutes, President Donald Trump (left) left Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) in a state a bemusement, which turned darker when he criticized former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 

Trump said the two men had a ‘very good relationship’ and that they would be talking about trade. 

The U.S. president then segued into criticism of the G7, which includes the U.S. and Canada, as well as France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and Germany. Russia was kicked out in 2014 after the invasion of Crimea.  

‘The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in. And I would say that that was a mistake. Because I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in,’ Trump said. ‘And you wouldn’t have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago, but it didn’t work out that way.’ 

James noticed that Trump’s ‘torso is puffed’ with his arms at his sides in a ‘power-pose.’ 

‘He appears to be aligned with the power theme mentally too,’ she continued. ‘At one point he refers to himself in the third-person, telling the world that: “If Trump were president four years ago we wouldn’t have had a war,” as though “Trump” is some form of super-hero.’ 

Starting in December 2024, after Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago as Trump pushed tariff threats, the now-president started remarking that Canada should become the U.S.’s ’51st state.’ 

‘With the thought of Trump’s claims to have Canada as the 51st state of the U.S., Carney is in an unenviable non-verbal performance spot here,’ James noted. ‘His body language tends to be more about subtle hints overlaid with a layer of bemused charm.’

As Trump continued to talk about Russia, Carney ‘seems to keep a wide space between himself and the president, welcoming him from this distance with the politely impersonal stance of a maître d’ welcoming a diner, even keeping his hands clasped behind his back in what looks like a desire to avoid touch,’ James observed. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney showed a ‘range of expression supressions and fleeting emotions while Trump is in full flow,’ according to body language expert Judi James. ‘His lips pucker and purse in a suggestion of suppressed disapproval,’ she said 

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail that President Donald Trump’s (left) ‘torso is puffed’ as he is in ‘fully pumped-up, grandiose global alpha leader here,’ during his bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) 

At the same time, Carney’s face displayed his thinking. 

‘As he greets Trump his upper cheeks round in an unconvincing smile. His lips pucker and purse in a suggestion of suppressed disapproval,’ James noticed. 

‘There is an overkill chuckling to suggest some inner anxiety and then when he looks back at Trump one time there is a micro-jut of the lower jaw revealing lower teeth, which looks distinctly like a suppressed desire to do battle of some sort,’ she said. 

‘When Trump brings Putin and Russia into his monologue there is a slewing of Carney’s lips as he begins to bounce up and down onto his heels in a gesture of possible impatience,’ James continued.  

Finally she observed: ‘When Trump says Russian should be in the G7 Carney’s lips make him look as though he’s sucking a lemon.’  

When the Q&A kicked off, Trump was first asked what was holding up a trade deal with Canada. 

Trump answered that the two leaders have ‘different concepts,’ with the U.S. president favoring his tariffs and Carney with a ‘different concept’ that is ‘something that some people like.’ 

She noted how at one point President Donald Trump referred to himself in the third-person ‘as though “Trump” is some form of super-hero.’ The president was pushing that the Ukraine war wouldn’t have happened had he stayed in office through 2021  

President Donald Trump (left) almost immediately criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s (right) predecessor, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for kicking Russia out of what had been the G8 

‘Carney’s downturned smile firms up here and as he turns to the press he performs an “aside” in the shape of a wink to suggest he and Trump are just doing a bit of banter,’ James said.  

Trump then addressed the current Israel-Iran conflict and then is asked a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin – with the U.S. president admitting the Russian leader currently shouldn’t be involved in G7 talks over the war in Ukraine. 

He then went back to bashing Obama and Trudeau, calling the former Canadian PM sarcastically the ‘proud head of your country’ to Carney. 

‘As Trump continues his narrative of Putin though, Carney’s polite smile drops and he begins to use a much darker-looking stare,’ James said. 

‘The criticism of Trudeau prompts a wary eye-dart and he begins to rock from foot to foot, holding his left arm out to signal a desire to end the conference,’ she added. 

Trump continued to take questions, including one from the Daily Mail about sending ICE into Democratic cities.  

After that, Carney was done.  

‘His hand performs a shooing gesture at the press and in the end he steps forward with his hands up and out to “exercise my role, that’s it” in a rather abrupt and unceremonious ending of the press conference,’ James said.