Description: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with US President Donald Trump as their initial meet hinted on rekindling relations between the neighbors amid the trade and tariff threat from the US. President Trump showed signs of adopting a more moderate tone towards Prime Minister Carney, as he talked about modifying the USMCA trade agreement, however, once again he reiterated his ambitions to annex Canada as the 51st US state. Carney was evidently well prepared and managed to maneuver around Trump’s unpredictable statements and used the opportunity to appease the US President by calling him transformational. The meeting comes at an extremely sensitive time of amplified bilateral tensions between the countries due to the imposition of the US tariffs.
Impact: Carney’s visit to the White House reconfirmed his campaign pledges as he managed to resist Trump’s unpredictable statements. The meeting emphasized that both leaders would stand firm behind their policies but also showed preparedness for enhanced dialogue and resolute negotiations which would benefit both the US and Canada. Carney’s positioning in conversing with the US President indicated that Canada comprehended the influence that economic codependence had on bilateral relations with the US but remained adamant in its current stubbornness around the way US violated the century long partnership. Trump used the meeting to show the US wasn’t backtracking Canada’s tariffs and the warming up of bilateral relations would have to surpass some diplomatic loopholes before conventional relations are established. Ultimately the meeting signaled the proverbial measurement of pulses between Carney and Trump as the US – Canada relations remained stagnant in their low – scale hostile state.