Carney tells Trump that Canada 'won't be for sale, ever'

Mark Carney has told Donald Trump that Canada "is not for sale" arsenic the president raised the imaginable of the state becoming the 51st US authorities portion welcoming the premier curate to the White House.

Carney won predetermination past period promising to "stand up" to Trump, who has imposed tariffs connected immoderate Canadian products and sometimes talks astir annexing the country.

The erstwhile cardinal banker responded with a steadfast but measured code aft the president projected a "wonderful marriage" of incorporating Canada into the US.

Despite a strained narration precocious betwixt the once-close neighbours, the 2 men besides lavished praise connected each different successful what was a mostly cordial Oval Office meeting.

Trump has imposed wide tariffs of 25% connected Canada and Mexico and sector-specific import taxes connected cars, immoderate of which person been suspended pending negotiations.

The US president, who accuses Canada of not doing capable to halt the travel of fentanyl south, has levied akin duties connected alloy and aluminium.

Tuesday's gathering was the archetypal clip the 2 had met since Carney won Canada's wide predetermination connected 28 April, a triumph galore person credited to concerns successful that state astir Trump.

• Live updates from Carney-Trump meeting

But the 2 leaders began with lukewarm words, with Trump describing Carney arsenic "a precise talented person".

He besides hailed his guest's predetermination triumph arsenic "one of the top comebacks successful the past of politics, possibly adjacent greater than mine".

Carney said Trump was a "transformational president", with "a relentless absorption connected the American worker, securing your border, and securing the world" and said helium had "revitalised" Nato.

But friction arose erstwhile Trump again argued that Canada would beryllium amended disconnected arsenic portion of the US.

Carney came prepared with a cautiously worded response.

"As you cognize from existent estate, determination are immoderate places that are ne'er for sale," helium told spot magnate Trump, likening Canada to the Oval Office itself and to Britain's Buckingham Palace.

"Having met with the owners of Canada implicit the people of the run successful the past respective months, it's not for sale. Won't beryllium for sale, ever."

Trump replied: "Never accidental never."

The US person traced his ain reddish enactment erstwhile a writer successful the Oval Office asked if Carney could accidental thing to transportation him to assistance tariffs.

"No," helium replied. "It's conscionable the mode it is."

"This was a precise affable conversation," helium added. "But we privation to marque our ain cars."

Trump erstwhile again argued that the US was subsidising Canada's subject and did not request Canadian goods specified arsenic aluminium and steel.

He said helium and Carney would sermon "tough points" astatine their meeting, but "regardless of anything, we're going to beryllium friends with Canada".

Trump besides criticised his visitor's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, with whom helium had an adversarial relationship.

Still, helium said the gathering with Carney was successful stark opposition to different caller Oval Office "blow-up" - a notation to a disastrous sojourn from Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky successful February.

At a aboriginal quality league astatine the Canadian embassy successful Washington DC, Carney said that helium "pressed the case" to Trump connected lifting tariffs, and recovered him to beryllium "willing to person that negotiation".

"I deliberation that's the main thing. That doesn't presuppose the result of the negotiation," Carney added. "There'll beryllium zigs and zags. Difficult aspects to it. But the imaginable is there."

Carney did not speculate connected timing, saying lone that some leaders and their teams would talk again successful the coming weeks.

Additionally, Carney said helium again asked that Trump halt calling for Canada to go a US state. He added that helium believes it important to separate betwixt "wish and reality".

"He's the president. He's his ain person," Carney said. "He understands that we're having a dialog betwixt sovereign nations."

During Canada's predetermination campaign, Carney argued helium was the person that could combat Trump's "betrayal", arsenic good arsenic propulsion backmost against US threats to Canada's system and sovereignty.

In his triumph speech, the Liberal person went arsenic acold arsenic to accidental that the formerly choky US-Canadian narration was "over" and that Canadians indispensable "fundamentally re-imagine our economy" successful the Trump era.

More than $760bn (£570bn) successful goods flowed betwixt Canada and the US past year. Canada is the US' second-largest idiosyncratic trading spouse aft Mexico, and the largest export marketplace for US goods.