Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected President Donald Trump’s assertion that ‘Canada lives because of the United States.’

‘Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security, and in a rich cultural exchange,’ Carney said on Thursday while speaking in Plains of Abraham, Québec, during a cabinet retreat. 

‘But Canada doesn’t ‘live because of the United States’,’ he said, referencing Trump’s remark. ‘Canada thrives because we are Canadian. We are masters in our own house. This is our country. This is our future. The choice is ours.’

In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, the White House pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post.

On Thursday, Trump published an open letter to Carney informing him that Canada’s invitation to join the Board of Peace — a U.S.-led council tasked with managing Gaza’s post-war future — had been rescinded.

‘Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time. Thank you for your attention to this matter!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The board was inaugurated in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, though Carney had already left, according to The Associated Press.

Tensions between Carney and Trump flared as world leaders met in Davos for the annual World Economic Forum. Both Trump and Carney took swipes at each other in their respective speeches.

During his address on Tuesday, Carney did not mention Trump by name, but rather he said that ‘rules-based order is fading,’ referencing the U.S.

He admitted that there were benefits to US. leadership on the world stage, but painted the entire concept of a rules-based international order as a falsity that is actively failing. Additionally, in his address, Carney urged middle powers, like Canada, to assert themselves and take the opportunity to ‘build a new order that embodies our values.’

When delivering his address on Wednesday, Trump did not shy away from taking aim at Carney. He said that Canada ‘should be grateful’ because the country gets ‘a lot of freebies’ from the U.S., though he did not say what he was referring to.

‘I watched your prime minister yesterday, he wasn’t so grateful,’ Trump said. ‘Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.’

The friction between Trump and Carney underscored a growing rift between the two. In his address to a cabinet retreat, Carney framed it as a moment for Canada to assert its own power and build a future based on its own values.

Fox News Digital reached out to Carney’s office for comment.

He’s not on the ballot this year, but President Donald Trump promises he’ll be on the campaign trail ‘a lot’ on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterm elections.

‘I’m gonna do a lot of campaign traveling,’ Trump told reporters Thursday aboard Air Force One, as he pointed to his effort this year to help the GOP defend their narrow Senate control and razor-thin House majority. ‘We’re going to work hard.’

But Trump appeared to downplay the GOP’s ballot box expectations as he acknowledged that the party in power, in this case the Republicans, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterms.

‘For whatever reason, it’s a deep-down psychological reason, sitting presidents … don’t seem to do well in the midterms,’ the president noted.

Trump made stops last month and earlier this month in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Michigan, to highlight his accomplishments during his first year back in the White House, and to tout his efforts to combat rising prices, a key issue with voters.

And next week the president travels to Iowa, where Republicans aim to defend open Senate and gubernatorial seats in November’s elections.

Sources in the president’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News Digital last month that Trump would be making regular stops on the campaign trail this year. And earlier this week, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who served as co-campaign manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, signaled that Trump would be making weekly stops.

That’s a big change from Trump’s first term, when the president didn’t start his campaign travel blitz until Labor Day.

Republicans lost control of the House in the 2018 midterms, something Trump is aiming to avoid in his second term.

Part of Trump’s strategy includes holding a first-ever Republican midterm convention this year.

As first reported by Fox News Digital, the Republican National Committee, at the winter meeting on Thursday, took the first formal step to change to the party’s rules, which would allow Chairman Joe Gruters ‘to convene a special ceremonial convention outside a presidential election cycle.’

National political conventions, where party delegates from around the country formally nominate their party’s presidential candidates, normally take place during presidential election years. And the hope among Trump and top Republicans is that a midterm convention would give the GOP a high-profile platform to showcase the president’s record and their congressional candidates running in the midterms.

The GOP is dealing with a low propensity issue: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot.

But Gruters emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month that ‘the President of the United States is our secret weapon… He’s laser focused.’

‘We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there’s nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump.’

Trump on Thursday touted that ‘nobody had a better first year than I did.’

‘Look at what we’ve done. We have the greatest economy in the world. We have the greatest investment in a country, in history, by many times — nobody’s ever had that,’ he added.

But the president’s approval ratings remain well underwater, with many Americans giving him a big thumbs down on the job he’s doing with the economy and the issue of affordability.

‘One year into his second term, Donald Trump has made one thing unmistakably clear: He doesn’t care about everyday Americans,’ DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer argued in a statement. ‘Voters won’t forget Trump’s betrayal come midterms — and Republicans will have to answer for it.’ 

Louisiana state Rep. Julie Emerson announced on Thursday that she was nixing her U.S. Senate bid in light of President Donald Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow entering the GOP primary.

‘With Congresswoman Letlow’s entrance into the race, the path to victory that was visible a couple of months ago has diminished. I support President Trump and respect his decision to endorse Julia Letlow to defeat Bill Cassidy. Because of this, I’m choosing to end my campaign now,’ Emerson said in a statement.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015, is running for re-election.

After the House impeached Trump in 2021, Cassidy was one of the Senate Republicans who voted to convict during a vote that occurred after Trump had already departed from office — the Senate vote ultimately fell short of the threshold required to convict Trump.

The president pledged his endorsement to Letlow in a Truth Social post on Saturday.

‘Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!’ the president exclaimed in the post.

Letlow launched a Senate bid days later.

‘Today, I am announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate to ensure the nation we leave our children is safer and stronger. Louisiana deserves a conservative Senator who will not waver. I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and trust. Let’s Geaux!’ she declared in a Tuesday post on X.

Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming and state Sen. Blake Miguez are also running in the Republican U.S. Senate primary in the state.

President Donald Trump on Thursday said the United States should have considered testing NATO by forcing member countries to respond to America’s southern border crisis.

Trump speculated in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. could have invoked Article 5 — the alliance’s collective defense clause that deems an attack on one member as an attack on all — thereby putting NATO ‘to the test.’

‘Maybe we should have put NATO to the test: Invoked Article 5, and forced NATO to come here and protect our Southern Border from further Invasions of Illegal Immigrants, thus freeing up large numbers of Border Patrol Agents for other tasks,’ he wrote.

The president’s comments came after he has recently questioned NATO’s commitment to aiding the U.S.

‘We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us,’ the president wrote on social media earlier this month.

After meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Trump announced that he had the ‘framework of a future deal regarding Greenland.’

Trump wrote on Truth Social that if finalized, the deal ‘will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations.’

Following the meeting, Trump said he would scrap a plan to impose tariffs on a group of NATO members who sent troops to Greenland amid the president’s efforts to acquire the island. Trump had asserted that those countries would be subjected to a 10% tariff on all goods beginning Feb. 1.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News this week, Rutte said Trump was ‘totally right’ about needing to shore up security in the Arctic region, noting that the chance of Russia or China becoming a threat in that region was increasing.

Rutte applauded Trump’s leadership in getting NATO countries to pay more money for the alliance’s defenses.

‘I would argue tonight with you on this program he was the one who brought a whole of Europe and Canada up to this famous 5%,’ Rutte said, ‘which is crucial for us to equalize our spending, but also protect ourselves. And this is the framework which you see in his post that we will work on.’

NATO members were previously spending 2% of GDP on defense, but have now agreed to spend 5% of GDP on defense and national security infrastructure.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

— The Republican National Committee (RNC) is taking a big step toward holding its first-ever midterm convention.

The RNC on Thursday advanced a change to the party’s rules that would allow Chairman Joe Gruters ‘to convene a special ceremonial convention outside a presidential election cycle,’ according to a memo shared first with Fox News Digital.

National political conventions, where party delegates from around the country formally nominate their party’s presidential candidates, normally take place during presidential election years.

But with Republicans aiming to protect their narrow control of the Senate and their razor-thin House majority in this year’s elections, President Donald Trump announced in September that the GOP would hold a convention ahead of the midterms ‘in order to show the great things we have done’ since recapturing the White House.

The new memo highlights ‘the possibility of an America First midterm convention-style gathering aligned with President Trump’s vision for energizing the party this fall.’

The party in power, in this case the Republicans, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterms. And the hope among Trump and top Republicans is that a midterm convention would give the GOP a high-profile platform to showcase the president’s record and their congressional candidates running in the midterms.

The RNC’s rules are based on holding a convention every four years. The proposed rule change will allow the RNC to hold a midterm convention. If adopted, the rule states that the convention must be called at least 60 days in advance, and no business would be conducted during the gathering.

The proposed change was adopted Thursday evening by the RNC’s Rules Committee during the party’s winter meeting in Santa Barbara, California.

It’s unclear if the full RNC membership will vote on the rule change when it gathers Friday at the confab’s general session. If the rule isn’t adopted by the full RNC, it’s expected to be approved at the party’s spring meeting.

Gruters, in a statement to Fox News Digital, highlighted that the RNC’s winter meeting ‘shows how completely united Republicans are behind President Trump and our efforts to win the midterms. The RNC has been aggressively focused on expanding our war chest, turning out voters and protecting the ballot in this fall’s elections. We’re building the operation needed to protect our majorities and give President Trump a full four-year term with a Republican Congress.’

Details on the date and location of the midterm convention will come at a later date and will likely be announced by the president.

But a Republican source told Fox News Digital it’s probable the convention would be held at the same time as the RNC’s summer meeting, which typically occurs in August.

The rival Democratic National Committee (DNC) may also hold a midterm convention. Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last summer that DNC chair Ken Martin and other party leaders were quietly pushing the idea of a convention ahead of the midterms.

Democrats held a handful of midterm conventions in the 1970s and 1980s.