Trump Carney meeting

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President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Canada’s new prime minister was far less confrontational than his interactions with the country’s previous leader, Justin Trudeau, even as Mark Carney reiterated on Tuesday that there is no way the country will become part of the United States.

“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale," said Carney, a former banker, as Trump chimed in to agree. “We’re sitting in one right now, Buckingham Palace, you visited as well, and having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign last several months, it’s not for sale. Won’t be for sale ever.”

The two leaders complimented each other multiple times during the meeting, a stark contrast from Trump's icy relationship with Trudeau, whom he regularly taunted as "Governor Trudeau."

But it remains to be seen whether this comity will last, and whether Carney will be able to use the initial goodwill to turn down some of Trump’s pressure on his country when it comes to trade and Canada’s sovereignty.

Even as Carney insisted his country wasn’t ever going to be for sale, Trump replied, “Never say never.”

Trump also told reporters that there was nothing Carney could say during their meeting that would convince him to lift the tariffs. Asked why, the president said, “That’s just the way it is.”

The heightened tensions between the two longtime allies following Trump's sweeping tariffs on Canada have sparked a wave of anti-American government sentiment that contributed to Carney’s electoral victory last month.

At the start of leaders’ remarks to journalists, Trump said that he had “a lot of respect” for Carney, and Carney praised Trump’s hospitality and leadership.

“We’re going to be friends with Canada,” Trump said, striking a friendlier tone with the country that attracted his ire over the past several months.

Shortly before the two leaders were set to meet, Trump fired off a Truth Social post criticizing Canada and claiming that the U.S. doesn't "need ANYTHING they have other than their friendship." “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,” Trump wrote. “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.”

The U.S. imports hundreds of billions in goods from Canada, including auto parts, crude oil, lumber and aluminum.