Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Donald Trump that his country is “not for sale” because he rejected the president’s efforts to make Canada the 51st state in a meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
"Know from real estate, there are places that have never been sold," Carney told Trump during most of the Oval Office's joyous exchange. "Meet with Canadian owners during the campaign...it's not for sale. It's never for sale."
But to show that tensions between Washington and Ottawa may persist, Trump replied: “Never say forever.”
"I have a lot of things that can't work, and they end up working in a very friendly way," Trump said.
The White House meeting was the first face-to-face encounter since Carney won the Canadian election on a staunch anti-Trump platform last month.
The U.S. president's hostility to his northern neighbors - repeated threats to Canadian annexation, violating free trade agreement tariffs - dominated the Canadian election and helped push Carney's Liberal Party to victory.
But Trump sneered Carney's victory and began the conversation. "I think I'm the greatest thing that happened to him, and it's probably one of the greatest comebacks in political history, even bigger than mine," he said.
He then described the Prime Minister as "a very talented person, a very good person".
He added: “I have a lot of respect for this person.”
Carney joked that he was on the brink of my seat during the meeting, saying he focused on improving defenses, strengthening the border and fighting fentanyl trafficking. Both he and Trump said they are willing to renegotiate the USMCA trade agreement, which inherited the NAFTA during Trump's first term and will be reviewed next year.
"The USMCA is a good choice for everyone," Trump said. "It's actually very effective, it's still very effective, but people have to follow it, and that's a problem." Carney said, "(USMCA) is the basis for a broader negotiation. Some things about it will have to change."
But the U.S. president made it clear that he was skeptical of free trade with Canadian neighbors, especially in the automotive and metal sectors.
"We want to build our own cars. We really don't want Canadian cars," Trump said. "And we don't want Canadian steel because we're making our own steel and we're building huge steel plants while we're talking."
After the meeting, Carney told reporters in his speech at the Canadian Embassy after the meeting that the talks with Trump were "widely" and "very constructive", adding: "It's a serious point of view to start with the discussion."
"We have had very complex negotiations on various issues and as I said before coming here, I wouldn't expect white smoke to come out at this meeting," he said.
The Prime Minister said he and Trump have discussed how they "compete with foreign countries, including from Asia" in the Canadian and American auto industries.
He added that although Trump is willing to renegotiate the USMCA trade deal and reject tariffs, "this is not a prerequisite result."
"There will be twists and turns and Zags, the tough side, but the prospect is there. We talked about it in more detail, and as I said, we will follow up between officials, and so will he and me in the next few weeks."