(WASHINGTON) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday bluntly told President Donald Trump in the Oval Office that Canada is “not for sale” after Trump repeated his assertion it should become the 51st state.
“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are not for sale. And Canada is not for sale, it will never be for sale,” Carney told Trump. “But the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together. And we have done that in the past.”
Trump still didn’t let go of the idea as he later mused, “Never say never.”
“Time will tell. It’s only time. But I say never say never,” Trump said. “I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable and only doable in a very friendly way.”
Trump and Carney’s high-stakes talks on Tuesday come as the historically friendly relationship between the U.S. and Canada has become strained due to Trump’s tariffs and takeover threat.
Minutes ahead of their meeting, Trump lashed out at Canada on his conservative social media platform, writing the U.S. didn’t need “anything” the country has to offer in terms of trade and goods.
“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, other than their friendship, which hopefully we will always maintain. They, on the other hand, need EVERYTHING from us! The Prime Minister will be arriving shortly and that will be, most likely, my only question of consequence,” Trump wrote.
Carney’s visit comes off the heels of his election win to replace Justin Trudeau that was fueled, in part, by his anti-Trump platform.
After his victory, Carney warned Canadians: “Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, that will never ever happen.”
Trump on Monday had said he was “not sure” what the prime minister wanted to discuss but added that Canada “wants to make a deal,” while Carney said on Friday that they will focus on “trade pressures and the broader future economic and security relationship.”
“I’m not pretending these discussions will be easy — they won’t proceed in a straight line,” Carney said last week. “There will be ups and downs, zigzags along the way. But as I said in my remarks, I will fight for the best possible deal for Canada. I will only accept what’s in the best interest of Canadians, and I will take as much time as necessary to achieve that.”
One advantage for Carney compared to his predecessor going into this meeting is his lack of history with Trump. Trudeau left his post with a bruised relationship with the president, who Trump repeatedly trolled as “governor” rather than prime minister. The two leaders were unable to work out a tariff deal.
A 25% tariff imposed by Trump remains in place for Canadian goods that are not compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (or USMCA) as well as a 10% tariff on Canadian oil imports and 25% tariff on all cars, auto parts, steel and aluminum.
Canada’s retaliatory action includes a 25% tariff on vehicles imported from the U.S. that are not compliant with USMCA. In March, Canada imposed $21 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs were applied on items like American orange juice, whiskey, peanut butter, coffee, appliances, footwear, cosmetics, motorcycles and certain pulp and paper products.
Canada also has a lot to lose if Trump follows through with threat to impose 100% tariffs on films produced outside the U.S.
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