Louisiana Senator John Kennedy took the Senate floor today, delivering a rambunctious and impassioned speech directed to two world leaders: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The refrain Kennedy recycled throughout his floor speech was “To get respect, you have to act respectfully. To be taken seriously, you have to act seriously.”
Kennedy directed opening remarks at President Putin, saying, “President Putin and Russia are not acting with respect toward the United States of America or President Trump. President Putin is not acting seriously."
“I don't know a single fair-minded person with an IQ above his age who doesn’t want peace in Ukraine,” said Kennedy. “We all want to see peace in Ukraine. President Zelensky wants to see peace in Ukraine, President Trump wants to see peace in Ukraine. I thought President Putin did; I’m beginning to wonder.”
Kennedy calls out Putin for purposefully botching peace deals
Kennedy outlined the breakdown in negotiations between Presidents Trump, Zelensky, and Putin, blaming Putin's deceit for Trump’s failure to obtain peace in the war-torn region.
“President Trump, who is leading this negotiation, first asked for cease fire… President Putin said no, I won't agree to a blanket ceasefire, but I will stop bombing infrastructure in Ukraine,” Kennedy said. “He lied like he breathed. He continued to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.”
Kennedy then explained Trump’s attempt to solidify a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, a vital route for maritime commerce for both countries. Zelensky agreed, but Putin had conditions.
“You know what those conditions were?” Kennedy explained. “To have the United States of America remove sanctions on the Russian economy. Then, to make matters worse, President Putin said I have one more condition. I want to put the people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine under the United Nations. In other words, he wants the people of Ukraine to give up their democratic government and be run by the UN.”
But Kennedy said that wasn’t all.
“Finally,” he explained, “President Putin said…there's one other thing before I agree to a cease fire, I don't want to just negotiate with you, President Trump. I want China to be part of the negotiations. And India. And Brazil. And South Africa. And—get this, this’ll curdle your lunch—North Korea.”
“President Putin is not interested in peace,” Kennedy thundered. “President Putin thinks President Trump took the bullet train to Chumptown…If you want respect, act respectfully. If you want to be taken seriously, act seriously. Because his conduct toward President Trump's hand at peace has been despicable. It would gag a maggot.”
Kennedy urges Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to eliminate tariffs on American goods
Kennedy dedicated the latter part of his speech to American-Canadian relations.
The Louisiana Senator began praising his Northern neighbors, saying, “I want to make it clear, I love Canada…And the people of Canada are just terrific. They're hard-working. They’re pleasant. They’re fun-loving. …The United States and Canada have been friends and allies for decades. We’re neighbors, we share a 5,525-mile border. We share history. We share values. We maintain a longstanding mutual security commitment… But it’s more than just business. We’re friends.”
Kennedy also painted the story of America’s bond with Canada over the decades, explaining how Canada often came to America’s side during its darkest hours.
“I remember on 9-11, US airspace was shut down,” Kennedy said. “The people of Canada stepped right up to the plate. They immediately implemented Operation Yellow Ribbon. They opened their airports. The Canadians opened their homes. The Canadians opened their hearts to 33,000 stranded Americans. There’s a little town in Newfoundland called Gander. Gander has 10,000 people. But they welcomed thousands of American passengers. They fed them. They sheltered them. They comforted our American citizens.”
Kennedy also told the story of how Canada rushed to the side of his state in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
“There was no hesitation by the people of Canada. It was only humanity,” Kennedy stated. “I’ll never forget that. I remember Hurricane Katrina. It destroyed Southeast Louisiana…. Canada was the very first country… to send disaster relief. Their program was called Operation Unison. Their military ships sailed south to help us in Louisiana. They sent thousands of people and a lot of supplies.”
Kennedy used the framework of his speech to urge Canada’s Prime Minister to do his part in helping to end the trade war between the neighboring countries.
“If you believe in free trade, make this offer today. Offer to go to 0 tariffs in Canada on American goods,” Kennedy urged. “None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. And challenge America to remove all our tariffs on Canada… Let Canadian businesses and American businesses compete. Competition makes all of us better. That's one of the shared values that we have with our friends in Canada… And may the best price and best product win. That’s fair trade. That’s free trade."
In closing, Kennedy stated, “I don’t speak for President Trump, but I’ll certainly encourage President Trump to accept that offer, and I think he will…I don't want to have a trade war with Canada. I want us to continue to be friends. I made this suggestion to the new Prime Minister of Canada the other day…and I hope this time he’ll take it more seriously. Remember, if you want to be taken seriously, you have to act seriously. If you want respect, you have to act respectfully."
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