- Trump again floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, but PM Carney firmly rejected it.
- Despite online jabs and fresh tariffs, Trump praised Carney in person and called their meeting “friendly.”
- Both leaders discussed trade tensions, with Carney aiming to build cooperation while defending Canadian sovereignty.
President Trump just can’t let it go. On Tuesday, during a sit-down at the White House with newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, he once again suggested turning Canada into America’s 51st state. This time, Carney wasn’t having it.
“I still believe that,” Trump said of his long-standing annexation idea, adding, “but, you know, it takes two to tango.” He made it clear that Carney hadn’t said anything that would change his mind on the stiff new tariffs the U.S. just slapped on Canadian goods.
“We’re not for sale,” says Carney
Carney fired back with a firm response, saying Canada is “not for sale” and “never will be.” When Trump pushed with a “never say never,” Carney, unfazed, responded with a real estate analogy: “Some places are just never on the market.”
That awkward exchange happened just minutes after the two smiled and shook hands outside the Oval Office—literally right after Trump had fired off another jab on Truth Social claiming the U.S. is “subsidizing Canada by $200 Billion a year.”
Trump continued the rant online: “We don’t need their Cars, we don’t need their Energy, we don’t need their Lumber, we don’t need ANYTHING they have,” adding the only thing America really wants is “their friendship.” Subtle.
Mixed vibes, warm words, and cold tariffs
Despite the shots fired, Trump was surprisingly warm in person, calling Carney “very talented” and praising his election win as “maybe bigger than mine.”
Still, the issues at hand are no joke. Trump has imposed a brutal 25% tariff on Canadian steel, aluminum, cars, and pretty much anything that doesn’t fall under USMCA trade protections. In return, Canada hit back with their own 25% tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods—including vehicles.
Carney, who ran on a platform of standing up to Trump, said he’s focused on building a stable “economic and security relationship” between the two countries, despite the noise. “We’ll find those areas of mutual cooperation,” he said.
Trump, for his part, promised a friendlier tone compared to his February clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “That was… different,” he said. “This is a very friendly conversation.”
