President Donald Trump and Canada’s newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down for their first face-to-face meeting on Tuesday. The tone in front of reporters seemed surprisingly warm, especially considering the rocky public exchanges between the two countries in recent months.
“I think we have a lot in common,” Trump said during their Oval Office meeting. “We have some tough issues to work through, and we’ll get to them.”
Carney responded with a show of appreciation, calling Trump a “transformational president” and thanking him for his leadership.
This meeting comes at a tense time for Canada. Trump has recently imposed tariffs and even floated the idea of annexation. Before the meeting, he took to social media to air his grievances, questioning why the United States should continue providing economic and military support to Canada. “We don’t need their cars, their energy, their lumber,” he wrote. “All we really want is their friendship, and I hope we keep that.”
Despite the friction, the two leaders appeared cordial during their brief public remarks. Trump congratulated Carney on his election win, a striking moment considering Carney rose to power with strong opposition to Trump’s influence.
Carney has promised to push back against the tariffs. But Trump made it clear that no argument from Carney would convince him to lift them.
Canada is Not for Sale
USNews reported that Carney firmly rejected any notion that Canada would ever join the United States. “It’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale, ever,” he said.
Trump responded, “Never say never. I’ve seen a lot of things that seemed impossible become reality.”
Carney held his ground. “As you know from real estate, some places are never for sale,” he added.
Trump tried to make the case for unity, suggesting that Canadians would benefit from American military protection and health care. Still, he admitted that the topic wouldn’t move forward unless someone was seriously interested in it.
Tariffs Stay—For Now
When asked by a reporter whether anything Carney could say would lead him to drop the tariffs, Trump replied bluntly, “No. That’s just the way it is.”
He added that the United States doesn’t need steel or cars from Canada because it can produce its own. Trump has tied the tariffs to fentanyl entering the U.S., even though only a small portion of such drugs are intercepted at the northern border.
Talks to Revisit USMCA
Both leaders agreed that it is time to look again at the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is due for review next year.
Trump said he was open to renegotiating but questioned whether changes were really necessary. He eventually softened his stance, saying the agreement was fair for all sides.
Carney, however, saw it differently. He described the deal as a starting point and said some elements would need to be revised. He also accused Trump of using the agreement to justify punitive tariffs, an approach he believes has stretched the limits of the deal.
Currently, Canada faces American tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles. In response, Canada has imposed a 25 percent tariff on certain U.S. vehicles that fall outside the scope of the agreement.
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