WASHINGTON — Canada will never become a U.S. state, Prime Minister Carney declared Tuesday in public and private meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House — meetings both leaders described as productive and cordial.
While most of Carney's attention remained focused on pressing Canada's case against Trump's tariffs and launching serious trade discussions between the two countries, Trump's obsession with turning Canada into an American state was still a focal point for the day.
The president assured reporters he was still keen on annexing Canada when asked about it during the public portion of the meeting. Carney acknowledged that Trump brought it up again during their private discussion.
The prime minister said he pressed Trump to drop the idea and repeatedly told him it will never happen.
“I would go back to showing the difference between a wish and a reality," Carney told reporters on the balcony of Canada's embassy in Washington following the meeting.
"I've been clear throughout, on behalf of Canadians, that this is never going to happen. Canada is not for sale and never will be for sale," he added, echoing remarks he made earlier while sitting next to Trump in the Oval Office when the TV cameras were rolling.
Carney also said he feels better about America’s trade “posture” coming out of the meeting, although he did not offer details of what was discussed and said this is only the beginning of talks.
“The breadth of the discussions and how concrete the discussions were — these are the discussions you have when you’re looking to find solutions, rather than laying down terms, if you will," Carney told reporters.
The prime minister is expected to brief Canada’s premiers on Wednesday about his first in-person meeting with Trump. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday Carney appeared to have "held his own" with Trump, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she hopes this is a chance to reset relations with the U.S.
When reporters questioned Trump in the Oval Office about his past comments about annexing Canada, he adopted a starkly different tone and even downplayed the suggestion. “It takes two to tango," he said.
Trump also added it would be a "wonderful marriage if it could happen."
Carney put it in black-and-white terms to the president, pointing to the White House and saying, "As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale."
Trump still wouldn't close the door on annexation entirely, adding he would "never say never" — prompting Carney to look around the room and say "never" multiple times.
“I’ve had many, many things that were not doable and they ended up being doable,” Trump said. “If it’s to everybody’s benefit. You know, Canada loves us and we love Canada. That’s, I think, the number 1 thing that’s important. But we’ll see. Over time we’ll see what happens.”
“Respectfully, Canadians’ view on this is not going to change," Carney said later in the Oval Office meeting.
While Trump and his surrogates suggested in advance that Carney might face a confrontational meeting, the tone of what transpired was a stunning change from the way Trump addressed former prime minister Justin Trudeau just a few months ago. The president repeatedly needled Trudeau by calling him the "governor" of what could become the 51st state.
Trump made a few disparaging references to Trudeau and the last Liberal government on Tuesday.
"I won't say this about Mark, but I didn't like his predecessor," he said.
Trump said he "had a lot of fun" calling Trudeau "governor" but Carney's election was "a good step up" for Canada.
The public portion of the high-stakes meeting was largely cordial, if tense. Trump leaned in at one point and — citing the combative Oval Office meeting in February which saw him publicly berate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — said the meeting with Carney would remain "very friendly."
"We had another little blow up with somebody else," Trump said. "That was a much different. This is a very friendly conversation.”
Carney matched Trump's body language throughout their meeting and even mirrored the president's fist pump to the cameras when he greeted Carney at the entrance to the White House.
Trump said that regardless of what happens, the United States is always going to be friends with Canada. He also said there was nothing Carney could say to him Tuesday that would convince him to immediately drop tariffs on Canada.
Carney later said that was to be expected and that this dispute would not be resolved within a day.
At the outset of the meeting in Washington, Carney called Trump a "transformational" president focused on the economy and tackling illegal opioids. He said he hoped to adopt a "similar focus" on the economy and border security and place a "much greater focus on defence and security."
Trump said Canada chose a “very talented person” in its recent election and described the Liberal win as one of the greatest political comebacks of all time, since the party was on track to lose badly back in January. Trump even agreed that Canada is "stepping it up" on its military spending. "That's a very important thing," he said.
Just ahead of Carney's arrival at the White House, Trump repeated his criticisms of Canada on social media and insisted the U.S. does not need Canadian cars, energy or lumber.
Trump wrote that his "only question of consequence" for Carney would be about why America is propping up the Canadian economy and providing "free" military protection.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick went on Fox News the day before and accused Canada of being a "socialist" freeloader riding on America's coattails.
Before arriving in Washington, Carney framed the meeting as the beginning of talks on a larger economic and security agreement between Canada and the United States.
The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, referred to as CUSMA in Canada, was negotiated during the first Trump administration.
Trump went ahead with economywide tariffs against Canada in March, only to partially walk back the duties a few days later on imports compliant with CUSMA rules. Canada was also hit by steel, aluminum and automobile tariffs.
Trump's recent actions, however, suggest he and his team recognize the importance to the U.S. of trade with Canada. The president left Canada and Mexico out of his global tariff agenda and provided further CUSMA carveouts for the North American automobile industry.
Carney said Tuesday in front of Trump that the two will have to discuss changing some aspects of Canada's trade pact with the U.S. and Mexico. He pointed to the national security exemptions in trade law that allowed Trump to slam Canada with tariffs — based on baseless claims about fentanyl trafficking over the Canadian border into the U.S.
— Written by Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington, D.C., and Kyle Duggan in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.
The Canadian Press
