WASHINGTON, D.C. – All eyes were on the Oval Office on Tuesday as the President met with Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney. Carney essentially ran on an anti-Trump platform. The meeting for the most part was cordial, but it comes at a time when tensions are high due to the President repeatedly stating Canada should be the next US state and imposing tariffs on our northern neighbor, which is one of our largest trading partners.
“Regardless of anything, we are going to be friends with Canada,” said President Donald Trump during an Oval Office meeting with PM Carney.
During this high-stakes meeting, President Trump said “never say never” to Carney after he shut down the President’s repeated claims that Canada should become the 51st state.
“It’s not for sale,” said Carney. “It won’t be for sale, ever. But the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together and we’ve done that in the past.”
During the meeting, the President claimed that Canada relied on the US too much, especially on security. Before the pair met, the President took to social media saying : “we don’t need ANYTHING they have, other than their friendship”… adding, “they, on the other hand, need EVERYTHING from us.”
The US heavily relies on Canadian energy, cars, machinery and agriculture products. The President’s global trade war aims to bring in more manufacturing and business in America but it has sent shockwaves to global markets and trade partners. Experts said it would take time to build that kind of manufacturing plants we rely on other countries, like Canada, for.
“We don’t do much business with Canada from our standpoint,” the President said during the meeting. “They do a lot of business with us.”
This is incorrect. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, Canada was the top destination for US exports and the third-largest source of US imports last year. During the meeting, the President said he wants to rework the USMCA. It’s the trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada. The pair seemed to be open to modifying the agreement.
“This will take some time and some discussions,” said Carney. “That’s why we’re here to have those discussions.”
The President said Carney can’t say anything during their meeting that would make him lift tariffs on Canada.
