Goa-born Canadian's photos reveal the full story after Trump’s eagle-goose post backfires

Washington: Amid a raging trade war, the White House's attempt at one-upmanship against Canada appeared to have backfired when online users pointed out that the photograph of a bald eagle strangling a Canada goose had the opposite outcome.

The photograph taken by an immigrant from Goa, Mervyn Sequeira, who has since settled in Canada, became a talking point on social media when the White House posted it on its X account on Wednesday, signifying American dominance over its northern neighbour.

The image was part of a series of photographs taken by Sequeira last year in Burlington, Ontario.


The photographs show the Canada goose fighting back, forcing the bald eagle - the American national bird - to abandon the fight.

The Canada goose, native to North America and widely associated with Canada, is one of the country's most recognisable cultural symbols.

The full set of photographs from the 20-minute fight shows the bald eagle launching multiple attacks against the Canada goose, which at several times appears pinned to the ice and in danger of being killed.

"There were moments when we thought it was over for the goose," Sequeira said when describing the encounter to CBC News in 2025. But the bird survived after resisting repeated attacks.

"It was like boxers in a ring," Sequeira said last year, calling the matchup "very symbolic in the political context."

In February, when the US men's hockey team beat Canada to take the gold medal at the Winter Olympics, the White House used the same eagle/goose image it used this week to signify American dominance.

The official account for Build Canada, a federal agency to finance affordable housing, responded with another picture from the same series, showing the Canada goose raising its wing in an apparent attack.

The development comes as the US announced last week it was imposing 50 per cent tariffs on USD 20 billion worth of Canadian goods after talks between the countries broke down.

Canada responded to Trump's import taxes by imposing retaliatory tariffs this week on USD 20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.