The White House and President Donald Trump wasted little time in reacting to Team USA’s gold medal win against its rival Canada in the men’s ice hockey final at the close of the Winter Olympics.
Hitting out at its northern neighbour, the White House posted an image of an American bald eagle trampling a Canadian goose. The social media post was shared in direct response to a statement made by Canada’s former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said in February last year: “You can’t take our country—and you can’t take our game.”
Trudeau’s initial post was in reference to Canada claiming a 3-2 victory over the U.S. in the 2025 4 Nations face-off. His “you can’t take our country” remark was a pointed reference at Trump’s desire to annex Canada and make it the “51st state”—something he has continued to speak on.
A notable moment in the long-standing U.S.-Canada rivalry, the Winter Olympics hockey final in Milan on Sunday saw the USA men’s team claim its first gold since 1980 in an intense 2-1 victory.
Similar to the White House, Trump also took to social media to poke fun at the score.
Early Monday morning, he posted a screenshot of Trudeau’s former comment on his Truth Social page. He then proceeded to share what appeared to be an AI-generated video of himself, in a suit, playing alongside Team USA and scoring a goal against Canada. “Trump, the enforcer!” read a re-posted remark from Kari Lake, the Administration’s senior advisor for the United States Agency for Global Media.
Trump previously celebrated Team USA’s success on Sunday night—praising their performance in hockey, but also overall. “We’re winning too much, it’s just not fair!” Trump said, after noting that the Milano Cortina games saw Team USA break its record for its most gold medals won at a Winter Olympics. U.S athletes picked up 12 gold, 12 silver, and nine bronze medals.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, meanwhile, said he “could not be more proud” of his country’s athletes. “You’re coming home with 21 hard-fought Olympic medals. Though what Canadians will remember most is how you wore the Maple Leaf: with pride, with grit, and with determination,” he said.
The U.S.-Canada showdown on ice came amid raised political tensions between the neighbouring countries and their leadership. There have been multiple clashes since Trump’s return to office, with the U.S. President’s annexation remarks and tariff threats proving to be a stumbling block for harmonious relations.
Trump recently threatened to block the opening of the mutli-billion dollar Gordie Howe International Bridge between Ontario and Michigan. The crossing, named after a prolific Canadian ice hockey player, is set to open this year.
Trump lashed out at Canada again on Friday, taking aim at the country as he reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that his sweeping tariffs are illegal. In a press conference held after the ruling, he repeated his claims that Canada has “ripped off” America on trade for many years.
Dominic LeBlanc, the Canadian Minister for U.S. trade, supported the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, saying that it “reinforces Canada’s position that the IEEPA tariffs imposed by the United States are unjustified.”
The current tensions between the U.S. and Canada also follow a contentious back-and-forth that took place in January, after Carney delivered a much-discussed address at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Canadian Prime Minister warned the old world order is “not coming back” and urged middle powers to stand up for themselves, accusing “great powers” of using economic pressure to yield results.
Carney’s remarks came soon after Trump had threatened to tariff European allies until Denmark agreed to sell Greenland to the U.S.—a threat he has since walked back on.
Trump responded during his own Davos speech, directly addressing Carney as he said: “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark.”
Hitting back upon his return home, Carney said during a televised address: “Canada does not live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
