Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has visited the White House for his first talks with Donald Trump and bluntly told the US President that Canada would never be for sale.

Carney, who won the April 28 election on a promise to push back against US tariffs and talk of annexation, later said he had also asked Trump to stop referring in public to Canada as the 51st state.

Carney rebuffs Trump's push for 51st state, Trump says 'never say never'. – AP

Overall, Carney termed the meeting as constructive, and said the two sides would start serious talks on a new relationship he insists is needed in the wake of the tariffs.

Trump told reporters the meeting was "great" and noted that he and Carney get along.

"I think the relationship is going to be very strong."

Although Carney has repeatedly called these actions a betrayal, the two leaders showed little animosity during an opening session at the Oval Office where both men praised each other in front of reporters before meeting privately.

Watch the interaction between Trump and Carney in the Oval Office. – AP

Trump said the two sides would not be discussing Canada becoming part of the United States, but said it would be "a wonderful marriage."

Carney put down the annexation idea firmly.

"It's not for sale, it won't be for sale – ever," he said.

"Never say never, never say never," Trump said.

Trump, whose tariff policy has rattled world markets, had said he and Carney would discuss "tough points," an allusion to the president's belief that the United States can do without Canadian products, a point that he made at length during the Oval Office conversation.

The meeting never appeared at risk of degenerating into the acrimonious exchanges that marked the Oval Office visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February. That encounter has served as a warning for other world leaders about the delicate dance they face in negotiating with Trump.

"This is not going to be like we had another little blowup with somebody else," Trump said.

"Regardless of anything, we're going to be friends with Canada. Canada is a very special place to me," he said, adding that the United States would always protect Canada.

Trump, Carney faceoff in Oval Office leaves gaping differences on tariffs. – AP

Carney's Liberal Party promised voters it would create a new bilateral economic and security relationship with Washington and diversify an economy heavily dependent on exports to the US.

"We made progress. We had very comprehensive tangible exchanges and there will be meetings between ministers and officials," Carney later told a press conference, saying he would meet Trump at a G7 summit in Canada in mid-June.

Given the potential for missteps and unpredictable reactions from Trump, the sense of relief among Canadian officials was clear. One senior member of the delegation told Reuters the meeting was "a 10 out of 10".

Ahead of the visit, Carney played down expectations of a breakthrough in the talks. Indeed, when Trump was asked if Carney could say anything to persuade him to lift tariffs, he replied: "No."

US President Donald Trump greets Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House. – AP

A senior Canadian government official said Carney told Trump over lunch the tariffs did not make sense.

Carney told reporters he had asked Trump to stop referring to Canada as the 51st state on the grounds it was "not useful".

"But the president will say what he wants," he said.

Greg MacEachern, principal at lobby group KAN Strategies and a former adviser to the Liberal government in the early 2000s, gave Carney high marks for his handling of Trump.

“I think Prime Minister Carney did what he needed to do, which was push back in a respectful Canadian way where he could without elevating the temperature and risking a rant that other world leaders have had to endure," he said.

Trade deal in focus

Carney's comments about a new economic relationship had cast into doubt the future of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which Trump signed during his first White House term but has distanced himself from. It is due to be reviewed in 2026.

Carney steered clear of suggesting a major revamp, saying only that some things about the pact needed to be changed, while Trump described the agreement as fine and great for all countries.

Trump had famously bad relations with Justin Trudeau, Carney's predecessor, and during the meeting criticised him and former foreign minister Chrystia Freeland for how they negotiated the USMCA.

In a Truth Social Post just before the leaders met, Trump reiterated complaints about the trading relationship.

"We don't need their cars, we don't need their energy, we don't need their lumber, we don't need anything they have, other than their friendship," Trump wrote.

During the meeting, Trump reiterated complaints about what he called the huge US deficit with Canada. Canada's merchandise trade surplus was $102.3 billion (US$74.25 billion) in 2024, due mostly to American imports of Canadian oil.

Carney, a 60-year-old ex-central banker with no previous political experience, was elected Liberal leader in March to replace Trudeau.

Trump says Carney 'wants to make a deal' during White House visit. – Reuters

Canada is the US' second-largest individual trading partner after Mexico, and the largest export market for US goods.

More than $760 billion in goods flowed between the two countries last year.

Ahead of the meeting, the US Commerce Department reported that Canada's goods trade surplus with the US narrowed to a five-month low in March, the month when Trump's hefty tariffs on imported steel and aluminum took effect.

Canadian exports to the US plunged by $3.7 billion, the second-largest drop on record.

Trump in March imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports and then slapped another 25 per cent tariff on cars and parts that did not comply with a North American free trade agreement.

On the weekend, Trump said he would put a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside the US, without giving details, in a potential blow to Canada's film industry.