Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday during a meeting with President Trump that Canada is “not for sale,” plainly rebuffing Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada could become the 51st state.
Trump doubled down on his suggestion that Canada would benefit from becoming the 51st state, even as Carney was adamant it would not happen.
“I still believe that. But it takes two to tango, right?” Trump said, suggesting Canada joining the U.S. would lead to major tax cuts and other benefits for Canadian citizens.
Trump indicated he and Carney would not be discussing the prospect of Canada becoming the 51st state as part of their private talks. But Carney made clear it wasn’t up for discussion anyway.
“It’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale ever, but the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together,” Carney said, later adding that the views of the people of Canada on the issue would not change.
But Trump signaled he would not give up on the idea so easily.
“I say never say never. I’ve had many, many things that were not doable and they ended up being doable,” Trump said. “Canada loves us and we love Canada. That’s I think the number one thing that’s important. But we’ll see. Over time, we’ll see what happens.”
Carney won the election to replace former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, aided largely by opposition to Trump’s comments about making Canada a state and the imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods.
Trump said in an interview last month that he was “not trolling” when he raised the idea of making Canada a state.
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