Mark Carney has been widely applauded online following a powerful public address.
Over the past year, Donald Trump and his administration have generated significant controversy during his second term in the White House. While Trump has long been associated with bold and unconventional decisions, his recent actions have increasingly irritated and strained relationships with some of America’s closest allies.
Amid this tense international climate, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew praise for confronting the growing friction between the United States and its global partners during a speech at the World Economic Forum. His remarks clearly resonated with the audience, earning him a rare standing ovation.
Although he did not mention Trump by name, Carney directly referenced recent U.S. behavior, including trade tariffs and calls for the annexation of Greenland.
During his speech, he stated:
“Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.
“Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy and geopolitics have laid bare the risks of extreme global integration.
“But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.
“You cannot ‘live within the lie’ of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.
“The multilateral institutions on which middle powers have relied — the WTO, the UN, the COP — the very architecture of collective problem solving, are under threat.
“And as a result, many countries are drawing the same conclusions — that they must develop greater strategic autonomy: in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance and supply chains.”
Throughout the address, Carney acknowledged that existing international systems and rules are flawed and imperfect. However, he warned that the current direction of global affairs suggests the world may be heading toward a far more dangerous outcome.
This speech *is* one for the history books. But that’s less a compliment, than a coda.
Carney has given us the words to mark the end of the ‘rules-based order’…by acknowledging it never really existed.
It was a collective illusion. That now is over. pic.twitter.com/H4gWysDBmH
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) January 20, 2026
He also cautioned that while rising nationalism may appear attractive to some, it risks creating what he described as a “world of fortresses” that would ultimately be “poorer, more fragile and less sustainable.”
Clips of the speech have since circulated widely on social media, with many viewers praising its tone and substance, particularly noting the standing ovation it received.
Journalist Carole Cadwalladr described the address as “one for the history books.”
Political strategist and writer Alastair Campbell also commented on the moment, saying: “Standing ovation for @MarkJCarney at Davos. (Those do not happen often). Brutally honest assessment of the situation Trump is creating for the world.”
Meanwhile, Wall Street Journal journalist Mike Bird urged readers to take the time to read Carney’s speech in its entirety.
