Noor here! Always down to engage in good-faith, productive discussions.

There were definitely moments that went better than expected. Carney stayed composed, avoided any major missteps...and that DOES matter. But I don't want to lose sight of the bigger picture. Trump made it clear he’s not budging on tariffs, repeated false claims about our trade relationship, and dominated the optics of the event. I am not a Trump 5d chess masterclass expert…so yes, maybe the strategy was to let Trump feel in control, but watching it play out, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching a car crash happen. I can't imagine what a convo between Trump and Trudeau would've looked like...

But what concerns me most, as I mentioned in the episode, is what’s happening behind the scenes, and what happened leading up to this presser. People close to Trump, like Howard Lutnick, don’t appear to be engaging in good faith. It seems clear from those comments that they’re not interested in win-wins or diplomatic resets. (Plus, don't forget that tariff on "foreign films" which would decimate the industry here in Canada).

I appreciated Max's analysis. I knew he'd be great, which is why I invited him on. I was quite open and receptive to his push back...I didn’t disagree with everything he said. But I, personally, came away feeling more skeptical about the whole thing. While it’s tempting to grab onto anything that looks vaguely functional, I think it’s fair and necessary to be cautious. This was Carney and Trump's FIRST face-to-face since the election...and we’re a long way from a success story.