Trump and Carney's Hot Mic Moment Reveals Chinese Car Limit

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was caught on a hot mic reassuring President Donald Trump that Canada would cap imports of Chinese electric vehicles.

In footage from a meeting at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, Carney can be seen speaking in a low voice to Trump, who is seated. The Canadian leader can be heard saying “cap” while making a horizontal gesture with his hand.

“Less than 3 percent of our market-49,000 cars,” Carney said, reiterating Canada’s agreement with China. “I thought you’d like that.”

“That’s good, I like that,” Trump replied.

Newsweek reached out to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative by email with a request for comment.

The two were speaking Tuesday at the G7 summit on the shores of Lake Geneva near the Swiss border, where they were joined by the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.

In January, Carney became one of a string of world leaders to visit Beijing to hammer out deals with China, driven in part by growing doubts about trade with the United States following Trump’s sweeping tariffs last year.

Trump had threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on Canadian goods if Carney pursued a trade deal with China. Carney nevertheless moved ahead with an agreement that included a commitment to import Chinese electric vehicles.

Though China was not represented at the summit, it featured prominently in discussions among G7 leaders, including concerns over what members describe as China’s “non-market practices,” including heavy state subsidies and industrial policies that critics say contribute to global economic imbalances.

During his stay in Beijing, Carney announced a deal allowing up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market at a most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent, down from the 100 percent duty imposed in 2024. China, for its part, agreed to reduce retaliatory tariffs on Canadian canola to around 15 percent from 85 percent.

The U.S. and China have in recent months been seeking to walk back trade tensions, an effort that culminated in Trump’s visit to Beijing last month and invitation for Chinese leader Xi Jinping to make a reciprocal visit to the United States in September.

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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 8:02 AM.