Trump meets Carney at White House, hints at progress toward trade deal despite tariff standoff

US President Donald Trump hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House on Tuesday, striking a warm tone as he praised bilateral ties and pointed to potential progress on a trade deal — even as major tariff disagreements remained unresolved.

Speaking alongside Carney in the Oval Office, Trump commended the Canadian leader as a “great leader” and suggested the talks had been productive.

“I think they’re going to walk away very happy,” AFP quoted Trump as telling reporters.

“And I think we’ve come a long way over the last few months, actually, in terms of that relationship,” he added.

While acknowledging “natural conflict” between the two countries due to business competition, Trump dismissed it as a normal dynamic.

“Nothing wrong with it,” he said, referring to the rivalry between North American manufacturers.

Carney, who was making his second visit to the White House since taking office in April, responded with optimism about trade negotiations.

“I’m confident that we will get the right deal,” he said, describing the United States as Canada’s most important economic partner.

The two leaders shared several light-hearted exchanges, including laughter over Trump’s quip about a potential “Canadian merger,” a reference to his past comments suggesting Canada could become the 51st US state.

“He is a world-class leader,” Trump said of Carney. “He’s a nice man, but he can be very nasty,” he added jokingly.

Despite the cordial tone, neither leader provided specifics on lifting or reducing US tariffs on key Canadian exports such as lumber, aluminum, steel, and automobiles.

The meeting came just a day after Trump announced a new 25% tariff on all imported heavy trucks, set to take effect November 1.

Carney, 60, entered politics less than a year ago, running on a platform that emphasised his crisis management experience — a direct counter to Trump’s aggressive trade measures and rhetoric.

The former central banker is under growing pressure at home, particularly after Canada reported a 1.5% GDP contraction in the second quarter.

While most Canadian trade remains shielded by the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), Trump has signaled a desire to revise the deal as it approaches a scheduled renegotiation.

Canada sends approximately 75% of its exports to the US, making the future of trade relations with Washington crucial to its economic stability.

Before the visit Canada’s opposition heaped pressure on Carney, as the country is the last major US ally not to seal a deal with Washington.

“If you return with excuses, broken promises and photo ops, you will have failed our workers, our businesses and our country,” conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre wrote in an open letter to Carney on Monday.

Carney faces particular criticism for making concessions to Trump while getting little in return.

At the end of June, Carney canceled a tax targeting American tech giants under pressure from Trump, who called it outrageous. He also lifted many of the tariffs imposed by the previous government.

“Mark Carney has no choice, he must return from Washington with progress,” said Daniel Beland, a political scientist at McGill University in Montreal, pointing to the steel and aluminum tariffs as key areas.

But Carney at least seemed to have negotiated the first hurdle of an Oval Office visit.

While the Canadian safely navigated his first appearance there six months ago, Trump has previously savaged visiting foreign leaders in the gilded room, including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“These meetings can easily go off track, and everything plays out publicly,” said Genevieve Tellier, a political scientist at the University of Ottawa.

Last week, Trump once again brought up the possibility of annexing Canada during a speech to US generals and admirals, referencing the country’s potential participation in a new “Golden Dome” missile shield.

With inputs from agencies

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