U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Mark Carney would leave Washington “very happy” after their meetings — but paired his upbeat tone with familiar jabs and tough talk on trade, setting an unpredictable tone for the next phase of Canada–U.S. negotiations.
Speaking during a meandering Oval Office press conference alongside Carney, Trump veered from policy to personal quips, touching on everything from his dislike of former President Joe Biden to his infamous aversion to wind turbines. When asked why he thought the Canadian delegation would be pleased, Trump teased reporters. “Well, you’ll find out, but I think the people of Canada, they will love us again,” he said. “Most of them still do.”
While Carney mostly let Trump command the room, the U.S. president offered vague but optimistic hints about trade progress, even as he maintained a combative stance. At one point, he joked about “the merger of Canada and the United States,” interrupting Carney mid-sentence. Trump praised the prime minister as a “great leader” and a “tough negotiator,” but when pressed on why no deal had been reached yet, he quipped, “Because I want to be a great man, too.”
Trump suggested that Washington could either renew the existing trilateral trade deal — the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement — or pursue separate bilateral deals with Canada. He didn’t indicate a clear preference. At the same time, he signaled no intention to ease U.S. tariffs, particularly on steel and autos, insisting Americans “don’t want to buy cars that are made in Canada” and describing the two countries as “natural competitors.”
Carney did not answer reporters’ questions as he left the White House mid-afternoon, leaving the substance of their private talks unclear.
The uncertainty drew sharp political reactions back home. In the House of Commons, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Carney of failing to deliver on his promise to “win the trade war,” noting there was “still no victory.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged Ottawa to retaliate if no breakthrough is reached. “You sure don’t sit back and get beat up by a bully every single day,” Ford said in Toronto. “It’s time to hit back if he can’t get a deal.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, speaking earlier in Ottawa, called Carney’s Washington trip a smart relationship-building move and expressed hope for “substantial advancement” on renegotiating timelines and compromises on autos, steel, aluminum, and softwood lumber.
In Washington, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen criticized Trump’s rhetoric and trade strategy, saying she was “deeply disappointed” by his failure to de-escalate the “destructive and unnecessary trade war.” She warned that the U.S. should be “deepening ties with our closest allies like Canada, not damaging them.”
Despite Trump’s cheerful mood, his aggressive posture underscored the unpredictable dynamic between the two leaders — a mix of personal rapport, political theatre, and hard-nosed trade positioning that could shape North American economic relations in the months ahead.