Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told US President Donald Trump that his country was "not for sale" on Tuesday as they met at the White House amid tensions on tariffs and sovereignty.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump insisted to the recently elected Carney that it would be a "wonderful marriage" if Canada agreed to his repeated calls to become the 51st US state.
But Carney brushed off Trump's suggestions, saying: "There are some places that are never for sale ... it's not for sale. It won't be for sale, ever."
The 60-year-old Liberal leader won the Canadian election on a pledge to stand up to Republican Trump, warning that ties between the North American neighbors could never be the same.
Trump, 78, has sparked a major trade war with Canada with his tariffs while repeatedly making extraordinary calls for the key NATO ally and major trading partner to become the 51st US state.
The two leaders began their meeting with warm words, with twice-elected Trump hailing Carney, whose Liberal Pary surged from behind in the polls, for "one of the greatest comebacks in the history of politics, maybe even greater than mine."
But while they expressed a willingness to work towards a trade deal to end the tariffs, it became clear that common ground would be hard to find.
"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.
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