Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney instructed President Donald Trump on Tuesday that his nation won’t ever be for sale, shutting down the U.S. president’s repeated calls to make Canada the 51st state.
“There are some locations which are by no means for sale,” Carney mentioned within the Oval Workplace.
Canada is “not for sale” and “will not be for sale ever,” the prime minister mentioned.
Trump replied: “By no means say by no means.”
The trade confirmed the newly elected prime minister refusing to budge on a problem that has created a swell of Canadian satisfaction and fueled anger towards the U.S. Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, was a frequent goal of Trump’s ire.
Trump additionally expressed impatience with these asking him in regards to the standing of commerce offers that his administration says are taking form in personal with quite a few international locations.
“Everybody says, ‘When, when? When are you going to signal offers?’ We do not have to signal offers,” Trump mentioned. “They should signal offers with us. They need a bit of our market. We do not desire a piece of their market.”
Requested if Carney’s rejection of his statehood thought made commerce talks between the U.S. and Canada harder, Trump mentioned that it didn’t.
However “time will inform,” Trump added. “It is solely time. However I say, by no means say by no means.”
Carney later made his stance even clearer. “Respectfully, Canadians’ view on this isn’t going to vary on the 51st state,” he mentioned.
The back-and-forth adopted principally cordial remarks between Trump and Carney, and each leaders saved a well mannered disposition whereas reiterating their positions.
Shortly earlier than Carney’s arrival on the White Home, nonetheless, Trump sharply questioned america’ commerce relationship with Canada.
Trump mentioned on Fact Social that he was wanting ahead to assembly and dealing with Carney, however that he “can’t perceive” why the U.S. is “subsidizing Canada by $200 Billion {Dollars} a yr, along with giving them FREE Navy Safety, and plenty of different issues?”
Trump has lengthy complained about U.S. commerce deficits with its buying and selling companions, and he has beforehand lobbed comparable claims towards Canada. A Trump official instructed CNN in January that Trump’s $200 billion declare was principally primarily based on U.S. protection spending that Canada advantages from, with the rest coming from the commerce deficit with Canada.
America’s commerce deficit with Canada was $63.3 billion final yr, with greater than $400 billion price of Canadian items imported to the U.S., in accordance with the workplace of the U.S. Commerce Consultant.
“We do not want their Vehicles, we do not want their Power, we do not want their Lumber, we do not want ANYTHING they’ve, apart from their friendship, which hopefully we are going to all the time preserve,” Trump wrote within the put up.
“They, however, want EVERYTHING from us! The Prime Minister will be arriving shortly and that may be, probably, my solely query of consequence,” Trump wrote.
The unfriendly welcome for Carney got here at some point after Trump downplayed expectations for the assembly.
“He is coming to see me. I am unsure what he desires to see me about, however I assume he desires to make a deal. All people does,” Trump mentioned Monday in response to a query about Carney’s go to.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick painted Canada as little greater than an financial leech on america.
“They’ve been principally feeding off of us for a long time upon a long time upon a long time,” Lutnick mentioned in a Fox Enterprise interview, the day earlier than Carney’s go to. “They’ve their socialist regime and it is principally feeding off of America.”
Final yr, Canada traded with america greater than some other nation besides Mexico, with complete items commerce totaling roughly $762 billion, in accordance with USTR.
However the commerce relationship has faltered as Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Canadian items.
Canadian exports to america dropped 6.6% in March, whereas its exports to different international locations shot up almost 25%, Statistics Canada mentioned Tuesday.
Trump’s tariffs, coupled with his expansionist calls for America to soak up Canada as a state and his common insults and accusations, have upended Canadian politics.
Carney’s Liberal Social gathering received sufficient seats final week in parliament to type the subsequent authorities, after months of trailing behind conservatives in polls. Three months into Trump’s time period, the Canadian election was seen as a rejection of Trump and surge in Canadian satisfaction.
Bruce Heyman, the previous U.S. ambassador to Canada, instructed CNBC’s “Squawk Field” earlier Tuesday that the assembly holds excessive stakes for each Carney and Trump, who has promised that he can negotiate advantageous commerce offers with particular person international locations.
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