TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney said dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump requires careful language and a direct approach, offering candid reflections on several world leaders during a discussion at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Wednesday.
Carney, speaking during a fireside chat hosted by Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove as part of his Indo-Pacific tour, said the key to managing relations with Trump is “respect but not obsequiousness.”
Asked how he has navigated interactions with the U.S. president, Carney said public comments about Trump must be chosen carefully.
“You don’t want to say anything in public that you can’t back up,” he said.
Carney said Trump often appears different in private conversations than in public settings and is open to hearing direct viewpoints.
“It’s quite different in private,” Carney said. “He is more interested in your viewpoint on various things.”
The prime minister added that Trump tends to appreciate direct conversations, particularly during private meetings.
Carney acknowledged Trump’s political success while describing the dynamic between the two leaders.
“He was duly elected and he’s become a very successful politician,” Carney said. “Elected twice — he would say elected three times. He does.”
During the discussion, Carney also joked about the president’s focus on crowd reactions, telling the audience that Trump received a larger standing ovation than he did at the World Economic Forum.
Carney also reflected on interactions with other global leaders.
He recalled his first meeting as prime minister with Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November 2025, saying the Chinese president spent roughly 10 minutes at the start of the meeting discussing how he preferred personal interactions to be handled.
Carney said he interpreted the message as a preference for private diplomacy.
“He didn’t say those words. But I interpreted it as, don’t lecture me in public. Bring issues to me directly,” Carney said.
Asked about Narendra Modi, Carney described the Indian leader as “unique” and highlighted his work ethic.
“He hasn’t taken a day off in 25 years,” Carney said, adding that Modi appears focused on delivering results for ordinary citizens.
Carney’s comments on Modi came as Canada and India seek to strengthen relations. India was the first stop on Carney’s current Indo-Pacific tour, which concluded with a commitment to finalize a broad trade agreement by the end of the year and an invitation for Modi to visit Canada.
The prime minister said Canada is taking a more assertive approach to issues such as foreign interference, transnational repression and cross-border security.
“The way we look at it is our approach is vigilance and engagement,” Carney said.
Carney also addressed the conflict involving Iran, reiterating that Canada supports efforts to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons while calling for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution.
Canada was not asked to participate in recent U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program, he said.
“We took a position because we view the nuclear threat and the export of terrorism of Iran over decades as one of the gravest threats to international peace and security,” Carney said. “That is not us asking for something in exchange for that. None of that is true. That is just a straight up position.”
The event also featured lighter moments as Carney reflected on his earlier career in central banking.
When asked whether central bankers or prime ministers have more fun, Carney said central bankers — pointing to dinners among G10 central bank leaders at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel.
He recalled attending a dinner shortly after becoming governor of the Bank of Canada in 2008 during the global financial crisis, when leaders were dealing with the collapse of U.S. investment bank Bear Stearns.
Carney said he had only about 90 minutes to help decide how to respond to the unfolding crisis while sitting through a lengthy discussion about wine choices during a seven-course meal.
“You know, tick tick tick,” he said, recalling the clock running down as the dinner host described the “best wine in Europe.”
“And he’s like ‘well have this one, but you know, the pinot grigio,’ and I’m like f***,” Carney said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Carney said that once the wine discussion ended, central bankers moved quickly to address the crisis.
“An hour later all I remember is, man the wine is fantastic … but anyways, we got it done.”