Washington, 6 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney humorously but unequivocally rejected any territorial ambitions on the part of US President Donald Trump during a visit at the White House on Tuesday.

"As you know, from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale," Carney told Trump in the Oval Office.

"We're sitting in one right now. You know Buckingham Palace that you visited as well," he added. Trump interjected: "That's right."

Carney then made it clear that the same applied to Canada: "It's not for sale, won't be for sale ever."

"But the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together," the prime minister asserted.

Trump replied with a grin: "Never say never," whereupon Carney smiled at the reporters in the room.

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly called for Canada to become part of the United States, referring to the neighbouring country as the "51st state."

Carney's party won Canada's national election on April 28 buoyed by his sharp anti-Trump stance.

Following his Liberal Party's victory in the parliamentary election, Carney announced his intention to resolutely oppose the aggressive policies of the US government.

In a television interview at the weekend, Trump sought to play down the situation, emphasizing that military force was not an option for him.

Ahead of the visit, Carney had said that Tuesday's meeting would focus on tariffs and bilateral relations between the two countries.

When asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether Carney could say anything during his visit that might persuade Trump to lift tariffs on Canada, the US president replied: "No."

"We want to make our own cars," Trump said. "We don't really want cars from Canada, and we put tariffs on cars from Canada, and at a certain point it won't make economic sense for Canada to build those cars. And we don't want steel from Canada because we're making our own steel."

Trump recently imposed high tariffs on imports of various goods from Canada, whose economy is closely intertwined with that of the US. Exceptions apply to certain products covered by the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Photo: epa