Trump floats ‘marriage’ with Canada, PM Carney fires back: ‘Not for sale’ | White House meet

Amid the ongoing tariff tensions, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday held his first face-to-face talks with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The meeting signals a possible reset in US-Canada relations, which took a hit after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump engaged in a meeting at the White House in Washington.(AP)

The meeting, held at the White House, began with smiles, handshakes, and flashes from eager photographers.

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The meeting comes days after Carney’s Liberal Party won the April 28 election on promises to tackle Trump and create a new bilateral economic and security relationship with the United States.

What did Trump and Carney say about Canada becoming 51st US state?

As US President Trump and Canadian Carney made an appearance, the subject of Donald Trump’s repeated calls for China to merge with the United States as its 51st state quickly came up from reporters.

“We’re not going to be discussing that unless somebody wants to discuss it,” Trump said. “It would really be a wonderful marriage.”

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To this Carney, responded firmly, saying, “It’s not for sale, it won’t be for sale – ever,” he told Trump in the Oval Office.

“Never say never, never say never,” Trump responded.

Trump, whose tariff policy has rattled world markets, said he and Carney would discuss “tough points,” an allusion to the president’s belief that the United States can do without Canadian products.

“Regardless of anything, we’re going to be friends with Canada,” he said.

Shortly before Carney arrived, Trump posted a message on social media.

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“I very much want to work with him, but cannot understand one simple TRUTH — Why is America subsidising Canada by $200 billion a year, in addition to giving them FREE Military Protection, and many other things? 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!”

Trump appeared to be referring to the trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada due mostly to American imports of Canadian oil, although Canada’s merchandise trade surplus was C$102.3 billion ($74.25 billion) in 2024.

(with inputs from Reuters)