Earlier this year, US Treasury Secretary Σκοτ Μπέσεντ offered Western allies at Davos some paternal advice, as they had grown tired of being subjected to condescending treatment and provocations by President Donald Trump and his advisors. “Sit back, take a deep breath, don’t retaliate,” he urged.
The comments focused mainly on tariffs, but at the Swiss forum, Μπέσεντ and other Trump associates repeated the same advice for almost anything related to the US president. And, overall, Washington’s allied leaders heeded the warning, even as they struggled to contain their frustration with Trump’s threats to invade Greenland.
For California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been a vocal critic of Trump and was also at Davos, it was all too much. The world leaders in attendance were “pitiful,” he said. “I couldn’t stand the complicity of people caving in. I should have brought a box of knee pads for all the world leaders.”
Allies Carney and Macron Push Back
Since then, however, things have moved forward – particularly for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron, who in recent weeks have been hitting back in kind. Amid rising trade tensions and disagreements with the White House over Russia, they have not hesitated to escalate the confrontation when attacked, sometimes even provoking Trump without prior provocation.
Carney and Macron have become the leaders of a resistance movement, according to Rohinton Medhora, a Canadian economist and professor at McGill University, who has characterized Carney’s emerging political vision as “value-based realism.” Medhora, who serves on various international and Canadian committees, stated: “They’ve tried flattery. They’ve tried ignoring him. Nothing worked, and now they’ve got nothing to lose by hitting back.”
Carney may have lectured the Trump administration, telling them to “stop making memes, stop throwing shade, and stop trying to look tough,” but that hasn’t stopped him from publicly mocking Trump. Carney’s spontaneous and biting comments have included teasing Trump for claiming there was “sabotage” when his teleprompter malfunctioned during a speech at the United Nations last year.
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In Ottawa, Carney even provoked applause and laughter by mimicking Trump’s characteristic hand gestures, which resemble an “accordion.”
According to former White House strategic advisor and current MAGA supporter and podcaster Στιβ Μπάνον, there are risks to “trolling the bear.” “They’re playing with fire,” he said. “They’re totally dependent on us for trade.” Bannon also mentioned the “κίνημα απόσχισης της Αλμπέρτα” (Alberta separatist movement).
Greenland Deal Sparks Diplomatic Debate
Bannon cited the recent agreement Trump signed with Denmark and Greenland as an example of American power and Washington’s ability to get what it wants. However, former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder drew a different conclusion from the Greenland agreement, which extends an earlier agreement dating back to 1951 and does not give Trump control of the island as he had sought.
For Daalder, this agreement shows that when allies stand firm, the US president backs down. “With this agreement, Trump literally got nothing,” he noted. Daalder believes that allies are starting to understand how to deal with Trump.
Macron’s tone now seems more biting, and his actions more targeted. Daalder points to Macron’s maneuvers that led Trump to sign a temporary agreement with Iran in Versailles – a palace infamous for a treaty that ended one world war but led to another. Critics of Trump celebrated that Macron had achieved an epic diplomatic victory.
Medhora believes that Carney and Macron are likely trying to appeal to and influence a broader audience. “By doing these things so publicly, they’re encouraging other leaders to overcome their hesitation and follow them,” he said. “And if others follow, then they’re all stronger in their opposition to Trump.”
