Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hit back after President Donald Trump said he wanted to make Canada the United States’ 51st state.
Minutes after the two men settled down in the Oval Office, the president broached the elephant in the room, saying that as a “real estate developer at heart” he believed that Canada being part of the U.S. would be a “wonderful marriage.”
Faced with a similar situation in the White House in February, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s aggressive response ended in a car crash confrontation.
But Carney’s firm but diplomatic reply didn’t cause any fireworks, even though he said them right to Trump’s face.
“Well, if I may, as you know, from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale. We’re sitting in one right now,” said the prime minister.
As well as the White House, Carney mentioned Buckingham Palace, the royal residence in London as an untouchable property.
But it was Canada he was there to protect. And he was very clear that no price would be high enough.
Carney’s shock come-from-behind win in the Canadian election was based largely on his party’s strong opposition to Trump.
But he was all too aware of what was at stake with the Trump administration still pondering the scale of tariffs it will impose on its neighbor.
“Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign in the last several months, it’s not for sale,” said Carney.
“It won’t be for sale ever, but the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together,” he added.
Trump wouldn’t let the matter drop, although he was smirking rather than fuming.
“But never say never. Never,” he said, his hands out.
“Never, never, never,” Carney whispered to the cameras.
Trump had argued that the two countries were supposed to be one.
“I’m a real estate developer at heart, and when you get rid of that artificially drawn line, somebody drew that line many years ago, like a ruler, just a straight line right across the top of the country.
“When you look at that beautiful formation, when it’s together, I’m a very artistic person, but when I looked at that view, I said, that’s the way it was meant to be,” he continued.
“I guess I do feel it’s much better for Canada, but we’re not going to be discussing it unless somebody wants to discuss it, I think that there are tremendous benefits to the Canadian citizens, tremendously lower taxes, free military, which honestly would give you essentially anyway, because we’re protecting Canada if you’ve had a problem.”
As ever in the White House, Trump was determined to have the last word. “Does this make a discussion a little more difficult to start off? No,” he said.
“We had a blow up with somebody else,” he said later in a clear reference to the Zelensky debacle. “This is a very different situation,” he aded.
“It’s only time,” he continued, ignoring Carney’s rebuff. “But I say never say never. I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable and only doable in a very friendly way, but if it’s to everybody’s benefit, you know, Canada loves us, and we love Canada, that’s, I think, the number one thing that’s important.”
“Respectfully, the view on this is not going to change on the 51st state,” said Carney.
Trump set the tone for the meeting before welcoming Carney, posting on Truth Social that America doesn’t need “ANYTHING” from Canada while Canada needs “EVERYTHING from us!”
“I look forward to meeting the new Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney,” Trump posted.“I very much want to work with him, but cannot understand one simple TRUTH — Why is America subsidizing Canada by $200 Billion Dollars a year, in addition to giving them FREE Military Protection, and many other things? We don’t need their Cars, we don’t need their Energy, we don’t need their Lumber, we don’t need ANYTHING they have, other than their friendship, which hopefully we will always maintain. They, on the other hand, need EVERYTHING from us! The Prime Minister will be arriving shortly and that will be, most likely, my only question of consequence.”
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