US President Donald Trump withdrew an invitation to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to join a newly established Board of Peace, originally set up to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as the White House moves to broaden the body into what it envisions as a rival to the United Nations.
Carney had delivered a sharp speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, arguing that a more rigid posture adopted by the United States and other major powers had effectively collapsed the rules-based international order.
He urged medium-sized and smaller countries to coordinate their efforts to counter Trump’s America First doctrine and what he described as attempts to dismantle the international system established after World War II.
Hours before Trump announced the Board of Peace, Carney escalated his criticism, condemning what he called policies of authoritarianism and exclusion, in remarks that appeared aimed at the US president.
Although Trump offered no formal explanation for withdrawing the invitation, the move appeared to be a response to Carney’s remarks.
Trump, who has a record of harshly criticizing leaders who publicly challenge him, has taken similar steps in the past.
Months earlier, he sought to penalize Canada with additional tariffs in response to a Canadian television advertisement that cited comments by former US President Ronald Reagan opposing tariffs.
In a post on his Truth Social platform addressed to Carney, Trump said the Board of Peace was rescinding its invitation for Canada to join what he described as a body that would become the most distinguished gathering of leaders ever assembled.
The White House has sent invitations to at least 50 countries to join the Board of Peace, which the Trump administration portrays as a broad organization designed to resolve global conflicts, with ambitions comparable to those of the United Nations.
Carney received the invitation last week, and aides said he had planned to accept it. He later reconsidered after learning that Trump intended to require members to pay $1 billion for a permanent seat on the board and that other Western leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, had declined to participate.
Trump’s decision added further strain to relations between the United States and Canada, which have traditionally been close despite significant tensions during Trump’s first presidential term.
Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has adopted a more confrontational stance toward Washington’s northern neighbor, drawing criticism from the Canadian government and anger among the public.
Trump has at times waged a trade war against Canada and threatened to annex it as the 51st US state. He has issued sharp rebukes of Carney and other Canadian officials during negotiations over tariffs and other disputes.
Economic ties have also suffered, with Canadians, long one of the most significant sources of international tourism to the United States, increasingly boycotting US destinations and products.
The diplomatic downturn has cast doubt on prospects for renegotiating the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, which underpins trade and supply chains across North America. The future of the pact, signed during Trump’s first administration, remains uncertain.
The withdrawal of Carney’s invitation has reinforced doubts that the Board of Peace will operate as a conventional international organization that tolerates dissent and open debate. Under its charter, Trump holds sweeping powers, including veto authority over decisions, control over the agenda, the ability to invite or dismiss members, the power to dissolve the board entirely, and the authority to appoint a successor body.
The board’s creation coincides with a broader shift in Trump’s foreign policy, which emphasizes US power to overthrow governments, seize foreign territory and resources, and dominate neighboring states regardless of their consent.
The administration has largely avoided traditional alliance-building and consensus-driven diplomacy associated with institutions such as the United Nations and NATO.
Relations between Trump and Carney had previously been cordial, but Carney’s Davos speech appeared to mark a turning point. Without naming Trump or the United States directly, Carney described what he called a rupture in the US-led global order.
He warned that middle powers such as Canada, lacking the strength to compete individually with the United States or China, risked subordination unless they acted collectively, cautioning that countries not seated at the negotiating table risked becoming targets of stronger powers.
The following day, Trump briefly addressed Carney’s remarks in Davos, saying the Canadian leader appeared insufficiently appreciative and asserting that Canada owed its existence to the United States, while warning Carney to keep that in mind in future statements.
Carney responded in a televised address to the nation, saying Canada and the United States had built a unique partnership based on economic cooperation, security, and cultural exchange, but stressing that Canada did not exist because of the United States.
He added that Canada prospered because it was Canadian.
