Canada welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday with a tiny red carpet—a gesture speculated by some to be a subtle dig.
Rubio landed for the G-7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Quebec on to a mostly dry tarmac, save for a sizable puddle directly at the airplane stair landing.
The modest strip of red fabric placed at the base of the stairs, half-soaked by the puddle, quickly caught social media users' attention, with dozens speculating on its intended message. Many saw it as a pointed jab in retaliation to the Trump administration's trade policies which have recently strained relations with US allies.
"That tiny red rug definitely made a statement," a reply to the photo on Reddit reads.
"I love that it leads into a puddle lol," one said. "True Canadian pettiness."
Some Redditors connected the short carpet to height-related taunts directed at Rubio—famously dubbed "Little Marco" by Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primary—with comments like, "Little Marco getting his little carpet."
Others highlighted his subservience to President Donald Trump. "A doormat for a doormat," read one comment.
The carpet itself provided plenty of fodder. "Trump's red tie is longer than that," a comment said, while someone else noted the rug, "Looks like a gag carpet covering an 8-foot pit." Some joked that it was probably "borrowed from the men's room in the Air Canada lounge."
Despite the rug's unimpressive length, one commenter still described it as "More than he deserves."
Whether the comically small carpet was an intentional message or not, the discourse reflects the damage done by the emerging trade war with the northern neighbor and historical ally of the U.S. The relationship fracture has been exacerbated by Trump's stated intention to make Canada the 51st state, and comes amid a global reckoning of how Trump's policies may impact foreign relations.
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