The president said he will bring up the idea of annexing Canada as the 51st state during his meeting with Carney.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump will host Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, at the White House on Tuesday for high stakes talks focused on trade and security.
The meeting comes amid heightened tensions between the two allies, following Trump’s imposition of steep tariffs on Canadian products and ongoing remarks suggesting that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
This marks the first meeting between the two leaders since Carney’s Liberal Party secured victory in the April 28 federal election.
“He called me. He was very nice and I congratulated him,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, referring to a post-election phone call with Carney.
Trump said he will bring up the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state during his meeting with the Canadian prime minister.
“I’ll always talk about that, you know, why we subsidize Canada to the tune of $200 billion a year,” he said. “If Canada was a state, it wouldn’t cost us, it would be great. It would be such a great—it would be a cherished state.”
In 2024, U.S. goods exports to Canada totaled $349.4 billion, while goods imports from Canada were $412.7 billion, resulting in a U.S. trade deficit of $63.3 billion.
Canada’s economy is deeply tied to the United States, with approximately 75 percent of its exports going to south of the border. This significant trade reliance is primarily driven by the energy and automotive sectors.
Canada along with Mexico were excluded from Trump’s international reciprocal tariff regime as both countries are already subject to 25 percent tariffs due to ongoing U.S. concerns over illegal migration and fentanyl trafficking. The tariffs made an exception for Canadian energy products and potash, which were instead hit with a lower 10 percent tariff.
Additionally, the United States maintains a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports and a 25 percent tariff on all automobile imports, with an exemption for U.S. content. These tariffs have a significant impact on Canada.
By Emel Akan
