WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, whose country Trump has surfaced several times to become the 51st state as he triggered a trade dispute with unwavering allies in U.S. history.
Tuesday morning’s meeting marked the first time the two leaders were face to face. The Liberal Party, which Canadians support Carney in elections, has been more than a week since the country’s new tensions with its southern neighbors.
Trump critic Carney directly cites the U.S. president in his victory speech, saying Trump's comments about Canada becoming the 51st state are "not an idle threat."
"President Trump is trying to break us so that America can have us. That will never happen, it will never happen," Carney told supporters.
The Canadian Prime Minister said in an article on Friday that his meeting with Trump will "focus on addressing direct trade pressures, and the future economic and security relationship between our two sovereign states."
The two leaders had previously spoken over the phone, and Trump said he congratulated Carney after the victory, saying in an interview with NBC News that the prime minister was "very good" and "meet the press."
When asked if Trump would talk to Carney about making Canada the 51st state (often defending Trump), the president said: “I will talk about that forever.”
Trump told Meet Media host Kristen Welker that referring to maps of the United States and Canada. "You don't even realize it will be a beautiful country. It'll be great."
Trump's repeated comments on annexation of sovereign states and powerful American allies have encountered a wave of anti-U.S. sentiment in Canada.
Canadian hockey fans booed the U.S. national anthem before the game. Some Canadians are beginning to boycott American products. Canadian politicians fired tariffs on American goods after the Trump administration reached Canada with tariffs.
Trump believes tariffs on Canada and Mexico are necessary, partly prompting countries to combat fentanyl entering the United States from common borders. Of the 21,900 pounds of fentanyl occupied by U.S. authorities on the border in fiscal 2024, only 43 pounds were seized by the northern border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
On Monday, Carney posted a video to X, where he arrived in the U.S. and wrote: “Canada is the most powerful when working with the U.S. – the job begins now.”