PM Mark Carney tells Donald Trump Canada is ‘not for sale, ever’
Donald Trump again said he wanted Canada to be America’s 51st state but was rebuffed by newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney in a tense exchange in the Oval Office. See what they said.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Canada was not for sale and would not become the 51st state of the United States.
Mr Carney, speaking in front of reporters alongside President Trump at the White House, said Canada was “not for sale, won’t be ever.”
Mr Carney arrived at the White House on Tuesday, US time, for his first meeting with Mr Trump, who greeted him with a handshake.
The two leaders headed to the Oval Office to exchange comments and take photos.
Mr Trump congratulated Mr Carney on his recent election win and said he had a “lot of respect” for him.
But he also said he had some “tough points” to go over with him in his meeting.
Mr Carney praised Mr Trump on his “focus on the American worker.”
But when Mr Trump pivoted the topic to focus on how Canada should become part of the United States, Mr Carney’s mood changed and he replied, “As you know from real estate, there are some places that are not for sale. The opportunities are in the partnership.”
Canada is “not for sale, it won’t be for sale, ever,” Mr Carney said.
Mr Trump listened then nodded: “Never say never,” he said. “I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable.”
Mr Trump spent much of his meeting with Mr Carney on topics unrelated to Canada, such as bombing the Houthis, California’s construction of a high-speed rail system, and former president Barack Obama.
Then, Mr Trump seemed to acknowledge that he had a less combative approach to meeting Mr Carney than with previous leaders.
“We had another little blow-up,” he said, referring to the spat with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Trump said this meeting, by contrast, was “friendly.”
Mr Trump said the US would have to renegotiate or terminate USMCA, the trade deal between United States-Mexico-Canada that is barely five years old.
Mr Carney said parts of the deal would “have to change.”
However, Mr Trump said he would not change his mind about placing tariffs on Canada as a result of today’s meeting, the New York Times reported.
The two leaders avoided veering off into antagonism to convene over a working lunch, and will be joined by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
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Originally published as PM Mark Carney tells Donald Trump Canada is ‘not for sale, ever’
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