U.S. President Donald Trump has largely put to relaxation the concept of Canada changing into the 51st U.S. state, the nation’s ambassador to Canada says.
The assembly between Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney on the White Home earlier this week offered a possibility to place the difficulty “behind us,” U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra informed the Nationwide Publish.
Trump has repeatedly made feedback in latest months saying Canada could be higher off as a part of the USA. Hoekstra, who was within the room for the primary face-to-face assembly between Trump and Carney, mentioned the president is transferring previous such feedback.
“It’s done,” the ambassador mentioned. “From my standpoint, from the president’s standpoint, 51st state’s not coming back. The president may bring it up every once in a while, but he recognizes it’s not going to happen unless the prime minister engages with the president.”
Trump informed reporters throughout his Oval Workplace assembly with Carney that discussions concerning Canada’s sovereignty weren’t a part of the agenda, however the president nonetheless reiterated his want for Canada to hitch the USA when the subject was introduced up by reporters current within the room.
Trump repeated his earlier feedback concerning the “artificially drawn line” separating the 2 nations. “It would really be a wonderful marriage,” mentioned Trump of a merger.
Carney then talked about Trump’s background as an actual property developer, saying, in a reference to Canada, that not all actual property is “for sale.”
“It’s not for sale. Won’t be for sale, ever,” Carney mentioned, to which Trump later remarked, “Never say never.”
Following the discussions between the 2 leaders, which included a non-public working lunch attended by senior officers from each administrations, Carney was requested by reporters if he had urged the president to chorus from making remarks about Canada’s sovereignty.
After Carney confirmed he had, he was requested how Trump had responded to the request.
“Well, look, I don’t know. He’s the president, he’s his own person,” Carney mentioned.
Regardless of the president’s 51st state remarks through the assembly, Hoekstra mentioned he believes the matter has been resolved.
“The president clearly acknowledged it takes two to tango,” he mentioned. “That’s behind us. It was never a barrier to discussing these other issues. Now begins the framework.”
Canada and US ‘Great Friends’
Hoekstra is new to his position as ambassador to Canada. He was sworn in on April 15 in Washington and acquired his official credentials from Governor Normal Mary Simon on April 29. Hoekstra served because the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands through the first Trump administration and was chair of the Michigan Republican Celebration through the 2024 U.S. election.
Hoekstra, a former Michigan congressman, confused the friendship between the 2 nations through the interview, saying the USA has at all times seen Canada as a pal and ally.
“We are great friends. We have been great friends for such a long period of time. You’re not going to change those personal relationships. You’re not going to change those economic relationships, national security related. They were never in jeopardy,” he mentioned.
“Is it a little bit of: ‘OK, let’s get over what’s happened in the last 90 days?’ Yeah, we did that. But the relationship, from my perspective, and I think from the president’s perspective, was never in jeopardy.”
U.S. tariffs on Canadian metal and aluminum, together with items and auto components not compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada settlement, proceed to be enforced. Hoekstra acknowledged there are ongoing challenges within the financial relationship between the 2 nations that have to be sorted out, however mentioned Trump shouldn’t be particularly focusing on Canada.
He described Trump’s technique as one which honours the marketing campaign commitments made throughout his re-election final November to make sure the USA shouldn’t be being taken benefit of in its commerce relationships, noting that he has adopted a world perspective on his dealing with of the matter.
“When you take a global approach, yes, Canada falls within that,” Hoekstra mentioned “Some folks have not liked that approach, but it is what the president campaigned on, and he’s doing exactly what he said he was going to do.”
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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