The president said during his meeting with Carney he would nurture the idea of annexing Canada as the 51st state.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will hold a high-stakes talk with Canadian new Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House on Tuesday, focusing on trade and security.
The conference comes amid growing tensions between the two allies following President Trump’s sudden tariff levies on Canadian products and continued remarks suggesting Canada should become the 51st US.
This is the first meeting between the two leaders as Carney’s liberals won the victory in the federal election on April 28th.
“He called me. He was very kind and I congratulated him,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, referring to his post-election call with Carney.
Trump said he would cultivate the idea that Canada will become the 51st state during his meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister.
“I always talk about why I’m subsidizing Canada for a $200 billion adjustment per year,” he said. “If Canada was a nation, it wouldn’t cost us, that’s great. It’s so great. It’s going to be a precious state.”
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Canada and Mexico have been excluded from Trump’s international mutual tariff system as both countries are already subject to 25% tariffs due to the ongoing US concerns over illegal migration and fentanyl trafficking. The tariffs have made exceptions to Canadian energy products and potash.
Additionally, the US is exempt from US content and maintains a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports and a 25% tariff on all automobile imports. These tariffs have a major impact on Canada.
On May 4, Trump announced plans to impose 100% tariffs on foreign-made films that could affect Canada’s film industry.
In retaliation, Canada has implemented 25% tariffs on certain US goods, including steel, aluminum products and automobile imports.
“Again, remember this. You don’t need their cars. You don’t need lumber. You don’t need any energy. You don’t need anything,” Trump said in an interview with NBC. “We have very little business with Canada. They do everything in their business with us and actually do everything in their business. They need us, we don’t need them.”
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick down the possibility of reaching a trade agreement with Canada during future meetings, describing the situation as “very complicated.”
“They have a socialist regime, which basically feeds America,” Lutnick said in relation to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Trump dismissed the idea of lifting tariffs during an interview with NBC, saying, “If you think someone is coming out of the table, why are they built in the US?”
When asked whether he would consider using military force in his Canadian appendix, Trump said such a scenario was “highly unlikely.”
“I don’t think we’ll get to that point. It can happen. Something can happen in Greenland. Honestly. It’s necessary for national and international security,” Trump said.
“I haven’t seen it with Canada. I’m not seeing it, I have to be honest with you.”
After the election victory, Carney called out to Trump. On April 30, Trump said the candidate he “most” hated had won the election. Trump previously said that the liberal government under Justin Trudeau was “troubled” in his first term as president, but this time he prefers to deal with liberals over conservative governments.
Trudeau resigned after Finance Minister Krishstia Freeland announced his resignation from the cabinet in mid-December, opposed Trudeau’s shuffling of her from her role as Finance Minister, saying the government needed to take more responsibility for spending.
The incident led to more public calls within the liberal caucus regarding Trudeau’s resignation, along with a decline in support of the Liberal Party in the polls, which he agreed earlier this year.
Starting his career in the private sector, Carney became governor of the Bank of Canada from 2007 to 2013 and worked as a civil servant from 2013 to 2020 before becoming the Bank of England.
He later joined the private sector again and served on the boards of many organizations. He also served as the UN envoy on climate action and finances. He said he resigned from all roles before becoming a candidate for the liberal leadership race in January.
Omid Goreishi and Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
