Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a light-hearted jab at US President Donald Trump after his teleprompter stopped working during a news conference on housing policy on Wednesday.
As the teleprompter malfunctioned midway through his remarks in Toronto, Carney smiled before joking with reporters.
“I would like to inform you that the teleprompter has ceased to function. Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
The remark appeared to reference an incident involving Trump during the United Nations General Assembly last year, when the US president experienced a malfunctioning teleprompter and a halted escalator before calling for an investigation into the incidents.
Neither Carney’s office nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment.
Relations between Canada and the United States have remained tense since Trump returned to office last year.
The US president has imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods and has repeatedly suggested that Canada should become the 51st US state, remarks that have been firmly rejected by Ottawa.
Carney has been a vocal critic of Trump’s trade policies and has pledged to reduce Canada’s economic and diplomatic dependence on the United States.
He has also attracted international attention by declaring that the era of a rules-based global order is ending and warning that major powers are increasingly using economic integration as a geopolitical weapon.
