Joe Scarborough Bashes Treasury Secretary’s ‘Petty Insults’ to Canada: ‘Scott Is Not That Stupid, and Yet…’

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough slammed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for his “childish” and “petty insults” at Canada as Ottawa slapped the U.S. with retaliatory tariffs and the administration’s trade war ramps up.

Scarborough’s broadside came after airing Bessent’s appearance on Fox News, where President Donald Trump’s Treasury chief compared Canada to a small dog antagonizing a much larger German shepherd as tensions between Washington and Ottawa escalate over tariffs.

“I had a German shepherd, and there was a dachshund that used to antagonize her at the playground, and it kind of reminds me of that,” Bessent told network host Lara Trump. “This little yippy dog used to bark away, and for a long time, a 110-pound German shepherd was ignoring the dachshund, and then one day she had enough.”

Bessent also blamed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for the worsening trade dispute, saying: “They were given the opportunity for a great trade deal and they didn’t want it.”

The Treasury secretary dismissed concerns that the administration’s trade war could significantly raise prices for Americans, calling the potential impact “not much of a hit to us” and “negligible.”

“I would like someone to show me the statistical significance of the Canadian tariffs on U.S. prices. I’m happy to debate them,” Bessent added.

Scarborough immediately unloaded after the clip: “You know, Scott is not that stupid, I’m sure he’s not that stupid, and yet the petty insults against Canada are deeply insulting, I think, to every American that understands America has thrived, America has grown through the years because we have a 5,525-mile border with our friends.”

The host stressed Canada’s longstanding military and security relationship with the United States, noting that Canadians had fought alongside Americans even in conflicts their government did not necessarily support.

“When you hear this sort of talk, this childish talk from a Treasury Secretary toward such an important ally,” Scarborough said, before asking Washington Post columnist David Ignatius what he would tell Bessent about Canada’s importance to U.S. national security.

Ignatius was similarly baffled by the rhetoric: “So, Joe, when I hear Secretary Bassett, who is a smart guy and an experienced financial trader, use a phrase like, you know, ‘yappy little dog’ to describe another country, I really do scratch my head.”

Watch above via MS NOW.

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