President Donald Trump and Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney met at the White House on Tuesday, facing off amid escalating trade tensions and uncertainty over the future of the USMCA trade agreement The high-stakes meeting came just a week after Carney’s election victory and was marked by both cordial exchanges and pointed disagreements.
Trump congratulated Carney, calling him “a very talented person,” but wasted no time raising contentious issues, including tariffs on Canadian goods and the possibility of renegotiating or even terminating the USMCA. The U.S. currently maintains a 25% tariff on non-USMCA-compliant Canadian products, as well as additional tariffs on oil, cars, steel, and aluminum. Canada has retaliated with its own tariffs on a range of American goods, from vehicles to orange juice, in a tit-for-tat escalation
Carney was firm, telling Trump that “Canada is not for sale” and signaling that while he’s open to negotiations, Canadian sovereignty is non-negotiable Both leaders agreed that talks on the USMCA would continue in the coming year, with Carney insisting that some aspects of the deal “are going to have to change” to address the impact of U.S. tariffs.
Despite the friendly tone, the meeting underscored deep divisions on trade, sovereignty, and the future of North American economic relations. The next round of negotiations could prove pivotal for both countries.
