RECAP | Everything that happened during Carney's visit to Washington to meet Trump
The Latest
- Prime Minister Mark Carney called discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump "wide-ranging" and "constructive.”
- Carney confirmed that he and Trump will meet again in person at the G7 summit next month.
- The prime minister said he will meet with Canada's premiers over the phone tomorrow.
- Carney and Trump agreed to disagree on the idea of Canada as the 51st state in their Oval Office meeting.
- The two leaders addressed trade, Canadian sovereignty and their countries' defence relationship.
- Trump said there wasn't anything Carney could say to convince him to lift tariffs, while Carney called CUSMA "the basis for a broader negotiation."
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Updates
May 6
- Verity Stevenson
We're wrapping up our live updates
That's it for today's live coverage of Carney's trip to the White House.
The day started with the prime minister and U.S. president answering reporters' questions in the Oval Office. Trump praised Carney several times, but did also make 51st state references.
A private luncheon followed that meeting, after which Carney spoke at the Canadian Embassy. He called his talks with Trump "wide-ranging" and “constructive” — although Carney said in French that he told Trump it's “not useful" for the president to keep repeating the 51st state rhetoric.
Trump also spoke at an event afterwards and said they had a “great meeting.”
You can read about how it all unfolded by scrolling down the page, plus you can read further coverage from our colleague John Paul Tasker, who travelled with the prime minister to D.C.
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Trump says he had fun calling Trudeau governor
Trump holds a meeting of the FIFA task force at the White House, after his meeting with Carney. (Kent Nishimura/Reuters) Trump called the Canada-U.S. meeting today a “step up,” signalling both sides are happy with how it went and will keep talking.
Speaking at an afternoon event for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (which the U.S, Canada and Mexico will host), Trump was asked why he doesn’t call Carney “governor,” a title he had used to demean Trudeau.
“As far as calling him Governor Carney, no I haven't done that yet and maybe I won't. I did have a lot of fun with Trudeau,” he said.
“But I think this is a big step up. It's a good step up for Canada.”
Trump said he watched Carney in the debates and thought he did “terrifically.”
“I like him. He's a nice man. We get along very well. We had a great meeting today,” the president added.
“I think the relationship's going to be very strong.”
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What’s next for Carney?
Carney waves as he departs after meeting with Trump. (Leah Mills/Reuters) Today’s meeting was a big day for the newly elected prime minister, but it’s just one date that’s been circled on Carney’s calendar.
Tomorrow, the prime minister will meet virtually with the premiers, who are likely eager to hear any more details about the closed-door meeting with Trump, if Carney is willing to share.
He has to select his new cabinet. Carney told reporters Friday that the swearing-in ceremony will be held the week of May 12 — which is next week.
The House of Commons will open for the 45th Parliament on May 26 and King Charles will deliver the speech from the throne the next day. That leads to another first for Carney and his minority government: a vote of confidence.
The former central banker is also expected to introduce a budget before the summer.
Then there’s the G7 summit June 15-17 in Alberta, which Carney confirmed today Trump will be attending in person.
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Diplomat says some negotiation details must stay secret
Carney leaves after speaking to media on the roof of the Canadian Embassy. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Louise Blais, former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, told CBC News’s Rosemary Barton that Canadians are going to have to get used to not knowing every detail of negotiations like this one “because that would be divulging information.”
“I think we’re going to have to give the government a little bit of room for maneuver there,” Blais said.
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Many more talks to come
Carney and Trump are flanked by Canadian and U.S. officials in the Oval Office. (Leah Mills/Reuters) While fielding questions from reporters, Carney repeatedly said that today’s meeting is hopefully the first in a series.
He said that with the election in the rear-view mirror, “This is the point at which a serious discussion begins.”
“We have some very specific things to follow up on and build out from that,” Carney said.
The prime minister also interestingly characterized the conversations as “looking to find solutions as opposed to laying down terms.”
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Carney asked about Alberta referendum talk
Carney was asked about increasing talk of Alberta secession. Premier Danielle Smith has said she would hold a referendum on provincial separation in 2026 if citizens gather the required signatures on a petition.
Asked about that, Carney would only say, “Canada is stronger when we work together.”
“As an Albertan, I firmly believe you can always ask, but I know how I would respond,” he said.
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Carney says he asked Trump to stop 51st state taunts
During a news conference in Washington, D.C., following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he told Trump that his comments about calling Canada the 51st state are ‘not useful.’
One reporter pressed the prime minister on whether he asked Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state. Carney said he did today during their meeting, but was resistant at first in defining how he asked or what Trump’s answer was.
He elaborated more in his French response, saying he told Trump that it’s “not useful” to repeat the 51st state idea. But Carney added that Trump is the president and that he’ll say what he wants to say.
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How does Carney feel about Canada-U.S. relations now?
Asked how he felt following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney said at the Canadian Embassy in Washington that both leaders were now 'fully engaged' in discussion and negotiations and that there are signs of a broad, healthy relationship taking shape.
“I feel better about the relations in many respects,” said Carney, including in terms of the “posture” that Trump took toward Canada, as well as the breadth of their discussion.
“These are the discussions you have when you’re looking to find solutions,” he said.
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On tariffs lifting, Carney says, ‘We’ll see’
Trump made it clear that for him, the tariffs, especially those on the auto sector, will stay in place.
Carney would only say, “We’ll see.”
He repeated what he said last week that he didn’t expect to see “white smoke” after this first meeting, when it comes to the trade war.
He called the meetings productive.
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‘I’m glad that you couldn’t tell what was going through my mind’
Carney speaks on the roof of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., after meeting with Trump. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Asked what he was thinking when Trump referred to an “artificial border” between Canada and the U.S., Carney quipped, “I’m glad that you couldn’t tell what was going through my mind.”
When it comes to Canada’s sovereignty, the prime minister said he’s careful to distinguish between Trump’s wish and the reality that “Canada is not for sale and never will be.”
He also touched on Trump’s implication that Trump disliked former prime minister Justin Trudeau and former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland (who is still in the Carney cabinet as transportation minister), saying that he looks forward, not back.
“I think we established a good basis today,” in terms of moving forward on the economic and security relationship, said Carney.
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