SBesides President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney obtained the clip he wanted Canadians to see: telling Trump that Canada is “not for sale”. But during the 33 -minute exchange in front of the journalists in the freshly golden oval office, Carney had to wait patiently while Trump made several times to explain why Canada should be the 51st American state.
It was a meeting that Trump described several times as “friendly”, but his words told another story. The clumsy tone was set for a few moments before the start of the tête-à-tête, as Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States offered Canada “free military protection” and that the United States does not need energy, Canada wood or cars built there. “We don't need anything they have, apart from their friendship, that we always hope to maintain,” wrote Trump.
It was Carney's first visit to the White House since he led the Canadian Liberal Party last week to the conservative victory to lead the government. Trump opened the meeting by calling Carney a “very good person” and complimented him in his race, noting that the Liberal Party of Carney had already been late in the ballot boxes. Trump described Carney's victory “one of the greatest feedback in politics history, perhaps even more than mine”. Carney made the compliments, saying Trump was a “transformational president” and praising Trump's relentless attention on the American worker, the security of your borders “as well as the end of the” Fentanyl scourge “and” secure the world “.
But Carney began to move uncomfortably when Trump asked if he still thought that Canada should be the 51st American state. Trump argued that Canadians would pay taxes lower and have better safety and better health care if they joined the United States.
Carney was ready with an answer that tried to call on Trump's experience to buy and sell buildings. “As you know in real estate, there are places that are never for sale. The one in which we are sitting at the moment. You know, the Buckingham Palace, which you have also visited. And having met the owners of Canada during the campaign in recent months, it is not for sale – is not for sale, but the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together. ”
Carney said his government has committed to increasing its investment in Canada's security and working to defend the Arctic. But later in their meeting, Trump returned to his conviction that one day Canada would be part of the United States. “Never say never,” said Trump, at that time, Carney could be seen embellishing the word “never” five times when journalists shouted questions.
By justifying his pressure to extend the United States, Trump described himself as “artistic” and loving the form of the larger border when the two countries are joined on a map. “It is not necessarily a day agreement. It is over a time of time that they have to make this decision,” said Trump.
Carney jumped.
Since arriving at the office, Trump has imposed 25% prices on steel and aluminum exports from Canada and 25% prices on cars and certain automotive parts. The prices on several other resources, including the potash used in culture fertilizers, are 10%. In retaliation, Canada has targeted 25% of beer prices, orange juice, peanut butter, wine and spirits and household appliances and other goods.
The two countries plan to negotiate these prices in radical talks which could also reopen the American-mexico-Canada-Canada agreement, or USMCA, which replaced the North American free trade agreement in July 2020. Trump said on Tuesday that it would be willing to completely eliminate USMCA. “We have an upcoming negotiations over the next year to adjust it or terminate it,” said Trump. For its part, Carney described the USMCA as the basis of a “broader negotiation” and said that “certain things on this subject will have to change”.
While Trump continued to insist on the fact that Canada could one day merge with the United States, the American president seemed to feel that there was a risk that this meeting could turn into a full-fledged confrontation like the now sadly famous oval office meeting in February, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused to accept a drying up to the United States in the United States in the United States
“It's very friendly,” said Trump, as if the word itself would. “It will not be like – we had another little explosion with someone else – it was a very different thing. It is a very friendly conversation.”
