'Canada not for sale, ever': Carney slams Trump’s pitch to make Canada a US state

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Canada was "not for sale" and would not become the 51st state of the United States.

Carney, speaking in front of reporters alongside Trump at the White House, said Canada was "not for sale, won't be ever."

Trump gave Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, a frosty welcome to the White House on Tuesday, saying on social media just before his arrival that the United States doesn't need “ANYTHING” from its northern neighbour.

“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?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The two leaders held highly anticipated talks at the White House Tuesday amid tensions over the US president's tariffs and threats of annexation.

Trump has shattered a decades-old alliance by saying he wants to make Canada the 51st US state and levying steep tariffs against an essential partner in the manufacturing of autos and the supply of oil, electricity and other goods.

The outrage provoked by Trump enabled Carney's Liberal Party to score a stunning comeback victory last month as the ongoing trade war and attacks on Canadian sovereignty have outraged voters.

The Republican president has repeatedly threatened that he intends to make Canada the “51st state.” He said in an interview with NBC's “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday that the border is an “artificial line” that prevents the two territories from forming a “beautiful country.” Trump's openly adversarial approach has raised questions for Carney and other world leaders on how to manage relations with the US.

'Little blow-up'

"No. It's just the way it is," Trump said when asked if there was anything Carney could say in the meeting that would persuade him to drop car tariffs in particular.

And when US president mentioned that Canadians might agree to join the United States "over a period of time," Carney raised his hand and interjected.

"Respectfully, Canadians' view on this is not going to change on the 51st state," said Carney.

A visibly tense Trump then referenced his blazing Oval Office row with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February -- if only to insist that there would be no repeat.

"We had another little blow-up with somebody else, that was much different -- this is a very friendly conversation," Trump said.

Trump had earlier slammed Canada on Truth Social for effectively freeloading off the United States, just minutes before shaking hands with Carney outside the West Wing.

The meeting was highly anticipated after a Canadian election during which Carney vowed that the United States would never "own us".

Carney has since vowed to remake NATO member Canada's ties with the United States in perhaps its biggest political and economic shift since World War II.

Trump has slapped general tariffs of 25 percent on Canada and Mexico and sector-specific levies on autos, some of which have been suspended pending negotiations. He has also imposed similar duties on steel and aluminum.