Prime Minister Mark Carney became defensive with reporters when questioned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated references to Canada becoming the 51st state during the two leaders’ first meeting at the White House.
When asked directly by a journalist whether he told Trump to stop making such comments, Carney tersely replied by confirming it was brought up.
Pressed further on how Trump responded, Carney snapped: “I don’t know. He’s the president. He’s his own person. I would go back to showing the difference between a wish and a reality,” Carney said.
A reporter asks Mark Carney if he asked Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state:
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 6, 2025
"Yes." pic.twitter.com/DZCjIz8Wg3
“We’re very clear…he understands that we’re having a negotiation between sovereign nations and that we will only pursue and accept a deal that’s in the best interests of Canada, not just in the short term, but In the medium and long term for Canada,” the prime minister continued.
When asked how he would get tariffs lifted, Carney said he laid out all the things Canada has been doing to meet Trump’s initial complaints about the border and defence. He made the case in Washington that Ottawa has been reinforcing Canada’s security, including at the border and in the Arctic.
He noted that by capitulating to Trump’s initial demands on preventing drug smuggling and increasing border security, the case to have tariffs removed was “very strong.”
“We’ll see where that goes. In other areas, the tariffs are, in our view, not in the interests of American competitiveness and jobs. We have more work to do on making those cases on that,” he said.
Trump, however, said there was nothing Canada could do to lift the tariffs during the broadcast from the Oval Office.
Similarly, Carney made the case for the auto industry saying a continued U.S.-Canada auto-trade industry would make the U.S. market more competitive, but Trump in the meeting repeated his stance that America doesn’t need Canada for anything.
Carney’s latest rhetoric was in contrast to his stance during the election when he told Canadians who voted for him that he’d have his “elbows up” to fight the U.S. president.
Carney said he feels “better” about U.S.-Canada relations because of Trump’s attitude towards the Canadian delegation. He also said “the breadth of discussion” and how “concrete” the discussions were left him hopeful for a renewed partnership.
“These are the discussions you have when you’re looking to find solutions, as opposed to laying down terms, if you will. So I feel better about that,” he said.