In a recent meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump, Carney emphasized that Canada will never be for sale, asserting its sovereignty while navigating ongoing trade tensions and tariff disputes.
Canada Stands Firm Against Trump's Claims of Acquisition
Canada Stands Firm Against Trump's Claims of Acquisition
Mark Carney firmly asserts Canada's sovereignty amid Trump's annexation suggestions.
Carney tells Trump that Canada 'won't be for sale, ever'
Mark Carney has told Donald Trump that Canada "is not for sale" as the president raised the prospect of the country becoming the 51st US state while welcoming the prime minister to the White House. Carney won the election last month promising to "stand up" to Trump, who has imposed tariffs on some Canadian products and sometimes talks about annexing the country.
The former central banker responded with a firm but measured tone after the president proposed a "wonderful marriage" of incorporating Canada into the US. Despite a strained relationship recently between the once-close neighbours, the two men also lavished praise on each other in what was a largely cordial Oval Office meeting.
Trump has imposed general tariffs of 25% on Canada and Mexico, along with sector-specific import taxes on cars, some of which have been suspended pending negotiations. The US president, who accuses Canada of not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl south, has levied similar duties on steel and aluminium.
Tuesday's meeting was the first time the two had met since Carney won Canada's general election on April 28, a victory many have credited to concerns in that country about Trump.
But the two leaders began with warm words, with Trump describing Carney as "a very talented person." He also hailed his guest's election win as "one of the greatest comebacks in the history of politics, maybe even greater than mine."
Carney said Trump was a "transformational president," with "a relentless focus on the American worker, securing your border, and securing the world" and said he had "revitalised" NATO.
Friction arose when Trump again argued that Canada would be better off as part of the US. Carney came prepared with a carefully worded response: "As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale," he told property magnate Trump, likening Canada to the Oval Office itself and to Britain's Buckingham Palace.
"Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign in the last several months, it's not for sale. Won't be for sale, ever." Trump replied: "Never say never."
The US leader traced his own red line when a journalist in the Oval Office asked if Carney could say anything to persuade him to lift tariffs. "No," he replied. "It's just the way it is."
"This was a very friendly conversation," he added. "But we want to make our own cars." Trump once again argued that the US was subsidising Canada's military and did not need Canadian goods such as aluminium and steel. He said he and Carney would discuss "tough points" at their meeting, but "regardless of anything, we're going to be friends with Canada."
Trump also criticized his visitor's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, with whom he had an adversarial relationship. Still, he said the meeting with Carney was in stark contrast to another recent Oval Office "blow-up" - a reference to a disastrous visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Notably, Trump also downplayed the prospect of trade deals, even though his administration has repeatedly pointed to over 80 countries hoping to negotiate as a sign of progress. "Everyone says, 'When, when, when are you going to sign deals?," Trump said. "We don't have to sign deals; they have to sign deals with us. They want a piece of our market. We don't want a piece of their market."
Carney said that he "pressed the case" to Trump on lifting tariffs and found him to be "willing to have that negotiation." "I think that's the main thing. That doesn't presuppose the outcome of the negotiation," Carney added at a news conference at the Canadian embassy in Washington DC.
"There'll be zigs and zags. Difficult aspects to it. But the prospect is there." Carney did not speculate on timing, saying only that both leaders and their teams would speak again in the coming weeks.
Additionally, Carney reiterated that he asked Trump to stop calling for Canada to become a US state. He emphasized the importance of distinguishing between "wish and reality." "He's the president. He's his own person," Carney said. "He understands that we're having a negotiation between sovereign nations."
During Canada's election campaign, Carney positioned himself as the leader who could fight Trump's "betrayal" while also pushing back against US threats to Canada's economy and sovereignty. In his victory speech, he asserted that the formerly tight US-Canadian relationship was "over" and that Canadians must "fundamentally re-imagine our economy" in the Trump era.
More than $760 billion (approximately £570 billion) in goods flowed between Canada and the US last year. Canada remains the second-largest individual trading partner for the US after Mexico, and the largest export market for American goods.
What tariffs has Trump announced and why? What Canada’s Mark Carney can expect when he meets Trump How Carney's election win will change the direction of the trade war Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
Trump tariffs Donald Trump Mark Carney United States Canada
Mark Carney has told Donald Trump that Canada "is not for sale" as the president raised the prospect of the country becoming the 51st US state while welcoming the prime minister to the White House. Carney won the election last month promising to "stand up" to Trump, who has imposed tariffs on some Canadian products and sometimes talks about annexing the country.
The former central banker responded with a firm but measured tone after the president proposed a "wonderful marriage" of incorporating Canada into the US. Despite a strained relationship recently between the once-close neighbours, the two men also lavished praise on each other in what was a largely cordial Oval Office meeting.
Trump has imposed general tariffs of 25% on Canada and Mexico, along with sector-specific import taxes on cars, some of which have been suspended pending negotiations. The US president, who accuses Canada of not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl south, has levied similar duties on steel and aluminium.
Tuesday's meeting was the first time the two had met since Carney won Canada's general election on April 28, a victory many have credited to concerns in that country about Trump.
But the two leaders began with warm words, with Trump describing Carney as "a very talented person." He also hailed his guest's election win as "one of the greatest comebacks in the history of politics, maybe even greater than mine."
Carney said Trump was a "transformational president," with "a relentless focus on the American worker, securing your border, and securing the world" and said he had "revitalised" NATO.
Friction arose when Trump again argued that Canada would be better off as part of the US. Carney came prepared with a carefully worded response: "As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale," he told property magnate Trump, likening Canada to the Oval Office itself and to Britain's Buckingham Palace.
"Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign in the last several months, it's not for sale. Won't be for sale, ever." Trump replied: "Never say never."
The US leader traced his own red line when a journalist in the Oval Office asked if Carney could say anything to persuade him to lift tariffs. "No," he replied. "It's just the way it is."
"This was a very friendly conversation," he added. "But we want to make our own cars." Trump once again argued that the US was subsidising Canada's military and did not need Canadian goods such as aluminium and steel. He said he and Carney would discuss "tough points" at their meeting, but "regardless of anything, we're going to be friends with Canada."
Trump also criticized his visitor's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, with whom he had an adversarial relationship. Still, he said the meeting with Carney was in stark contrast to another recent Oval Office "blow-up" - a reference to a disastrous visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Notably, Trump also downplayed the prospect of trade deals, even though his administration has repeatedly pointed to over 80 countries hoping to negotiate as a sign of progress. "Everyone says, 'When, when, when are you going to sign deals?," Trump said. "We don't have to sign deals; they have to sign deals with us. They want a piece of our market. We don't want a piece of their market."
Carney said that he "pressed the case" to Trump on lifting tariffs and found him to be "willing to have that negotiation." "I think that's the main thing. That doesn't presuppose the outcome of the negotiation," Carney added at a news conference at the Canadian embassy in Washington DC.
"There'll be zigs and zags. Difficult aspects to it. But the prospect is there." Carney did not speculate on timing, saying only that both leaders and their teams would speak again in the coming weeks.
Additionally, Carney reiterated that he asked Trump to stop calling for Canada to become a US state. He emphasized the importance of distinguishing between "wish and reality." "He's the president. He's his own person," Carney said. "He understands that we're having a negotiation between sovereign nations."
During Canada's election campaign, Carney positioned himself as the leader who could fight Trump's "betrayal" while also pushing back against US threats to Canada's economy and sovereignty. In his victory speech, he asserted that the formerly tight US-Canadian relationship was "over" and that Canadians must "fundamentally re-imagine our economy" in the Trump era.
More than $760 billion (approximately £570 billion) in goods flowed between Canada and the US last year. Canada remains the second-largest individual trading partner for the US after Mexico, and the largest export market for American goods.
What tariffs has Trump announced and why? What Canada’s Mark Carney can expect when he meets Trump How Carney's election win will change the direction of the trade war Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
Trump tariffs Donald Trump Mark Carney United States Canada
