President Donald Trump met with the new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday in the Oval Office, where reporters broached subject of whether the northern nation would become the 51st state – a concept that the president has teased since taking office.
“It takes two to tango, right?” Trump remarked. “…I believe it would be a massive tax cut for the Canadian citizens, you’d have a free military…there would be a lot of advantages.”
The president spoke about the “beautiful” territory and noted that if Canada would “get rid of that artificially drawn line” he believed “that’s the way it was meant to be.”
Notably, the prime minister shifted often in his seat while Trump was speaking and appeared visibly uncomfortable with the president’s comments about acquiring Canada.
Trump said he believed that merging Canada and the United States would be a “wonderful marriage.” However, he added that he and the Canadian leadership would not be discussing it unless they were open to it.
The prime minister, for his part, replied to the president’s comments, noting, “There are some places that are never for sale…[Canada’s] not for sale, ever.”
He then changed the subject rapidly to the topic of “revitalized international security,” which he gave Trump credit for, especially in terms of stopping fentanyl.
“Canada is stepping up the military participation,” Trump agreed. “…Never say never.”
Of course, Canada’s military commitment to keeping the U.S.-Canada border safe is a direct response to Trump’s tariffs levied against the nation, due to the role he believes they have played in facilitating fentanyl and illegal immigration through the northern border.
One reporter in the Oval Office asked President Trump about what his reaction was to hearing PM Carney state that Canada is “not for sale.”
“Time will tell, it’s only time,” Trump said. “But I say, ‘Never say never.’ I’ve had many, many things that were not doable…but only doable in a very friendly way.”
He concluded, “Canada loves us and we love Canada…we’ll see, over time, we’ll see what happens.”
