Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in a widely watched Oval Office summit, trading barbs and compliments in a cordial but tense encounter that underscored deep divisions over tariffs, trade, and sovereignty.
Carney, whose centre-left Liberal Party recently won a surprise election victory largely on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment, used the meeting to reaffirm Canada’s independence after months of Trump pushing for the country to join the United States as its 51st state.
“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” Carney told Trump.
“Canada is not for sale — won’t be for sale ever.”
Trump responded with a smirk: “Never say never.”
Despite the friction, both leaders sought to lower the temperature. Trump, who once called Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau “two-faced,” instead praised Carney’s political comeback and described him as a “very talented person.” Carney called Trump a “transformational president” and stressed their shared focus on economic security.
But trade disputes loomed large.
Trump dismissed the need for formal trade deals, insisting other nations must meet U.S. demands.
“We don’t have to sign deals,” Trump said. “They have to sign deals with us. They want a piece of our market. We don’t want a piece of their market.”
Carney challenged that framing, noting that Canada is the largest overall client of the U.S., with deep economic integration that makes tariffs mutually damaging.
The leaders signalled a potential renegotiation of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), though without specifics. Carney described it as “a framework” requiring updates, while Trump called it a “transitional step.”
When asked whether Carney could say anything to prompt the removal of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, Trump replied flatly: “No.”
Before Carney’s arrival, Trump had claimed — without evidence — that the U.S. subsidised Canada by US$200 billion annually, citing military protection and trade deficits. The U.S. trade deficit with Canada was US$63.3 billion last year, according to official figures.
In another twist, Trump used the meeting to announce that the U.S. would halt its bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, claiming the group had conveyed a desire to stop fighting. The Houthis later indicated any deal would need to be “evaluated on the ground first.”
Despite the fraught backdrop, Carney called the meeting “very constructive” and suggested it marked “the end of the beginning” of a redefined relationship between the two countries.
But on the matter of statehood, he remained unequivocal:
“Respectfully, Canadians’ view on this is not going to change.”
