Negotiating With Trump: Albo Gets It, Carney Not At All.

Rudd, as the Australian ambassador, did what he had to do. He apologized to Trump for previous unflattering comments. Apparently, meetings went much better later on as Trump appeared to forgive and forget. That's not usually his style, especially in private. You can bet that tons of pressure came Albo's way, but to his credit, Albanese backed Rudd and kept him in his job.

All of this to say that the Canadian delegation is not taken seriously in DC. Trump regularly twists them around his little finger and plays psychological games against them, including this prime minister. Negotiators are meant to be competent and respected. Trump may loathe Rudd in an Australian context, but he knows he's an opponent who's worthy of respect. LeBlanc, all soft soap and flattery is getting nowhere. We've come up with precisely nothing so far in negotiations with the Trump Administration. That's no surprise given who's taking the lead on Canada's behalf. Trump has us pegged as losers and intends to bulldoze right over the Canadian delegation. Carney keeps talking up agreements, but then delivers nothing. The proof is already in the pudding. The trouble is that our pudding remains invisible. A Carney win always remains aspirational only. For how much longer are Canadians prepared to put up with that?