President Trump provided the humor in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday.
In a positive exchange between the two leaders, Prime Minister Carney praised President Trump for his successes since taking office.
“You are a transformative President,” Carney said. “From the transformation of the economy, unprecedented commitments of NATO partners to defense spending, peace from India, Pakistan through to Azerbaijan, disabling Iran as the force of terror.”
“To the merger of the United States and Canada!” Trump joked.
Carney took the joke in good humor. “That wasn’t where I was going,” he responded while laughing.
“I’m only kidding,” President Trump said.
Trump’s quip was a reference to his jabs with the former Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. After continually joking that Canada could become the 51st state, Trump roused the ire of Trudeau, who did not take Trump’s comments in the same spirit of humor displayed by Carney.
Carney continued by praising Trump’s efforts in bringing the conflict between Israel and Gaza to an end.
“On this solemn day of commemoration of the horrific attacks of October 7th, for the first time in decades, hundreds of years, thousands of years, this prospect of peace that you’ve made possible, Canada stands foursquare behind those efforts and will do whatever we can to support them,” Carney said.
When reporters asked about the status of trade between the two countries, specifically tariffs on aluminum and steel, Trump said he and Prime Minister Carney would be discussing the matter.
Trump lauded Carney as he referenced the upcoming discussions on economic relations between the two countries, calling the Prime Minister a good man and a “tough negotiator.”
When asked about the holdup in reaching a deal with Canada, Trump drew laughs from around the room, including from Prime Minister Carney, when he responded by saying, “I want to be a great man too, thank you very much.”
