US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are set to meet Tuesday in Washington, in a high-stakes encounter shaped by trade tensions, political friction, and provocative remarks over Canada’s sovereignty.

The Trump–Carney meeting marks the first encounter between the two leaders since Carney’s election, which was largely defined by Carney's pledge to resist US tariffs and rebuff Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada should be annexed as the United States’ 51st state.

Former central banker Carney, who succeeded Justin Trudeau in March, has warned against expecting immediate outcomes from the White House talks. “Our old relationship based on steadily increasing integration is over. The questions now are how our nations will cooperate in the future,” he said last week.

The Canadian prime minister has adopted a firm stance ahead of the meeting, emphasizing that relations with the United States under Trump cannot remain unchanged. His government has prioritized reshaping trade and diplomatic ties in what he has described as Canada’s most significant foreign policy shift since World War II.

Trump, on his part, offered mixed messages in the lead-up to the talks. While calling Carney a “very nice gentleman” after a recent phone conversation, he admitted uncertainty about the agenda. “He’s coming to see me. I’m not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal. Everybody does,” Trump said.

This is Canada — and we decide what happens here. pic.twitter.com/1baJGn7pwv

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) April 28, 2025

The two leaders are scheduled to meet at 11:30 am (1530 GMT), followed by lunch and an Oval Office session.

Trump’s tariffs and annexation rhetoric fuel Canada’s backlash

Tensions have escalated since Trump imposed broad tariffs of 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods, including targeted duties on the auto sector. While some of these measures have been paused for negotiation, others, such as tariffs on steel and aluminum, remain in place.

Trump has also drawn condemnation in Canada for suggesting the country could enjoy "ZERO TARIFFS" if it joined the US as its 51st state. His public comments, posted during Canada’s election campaign, disrupted political dynamics and contributed to the fall of Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party.

Carney, a political newcomer with deep economic credentials, is educated at Harvard and Oxford, and had built a career at Goldman Sachs before transitioning to public service, where he steered Canada through the 2008 financial crisis as Governor of the Bank of Canada, according to the Economic Times. His performance earned him a historic appointment as the first non-British head of the Bank of England, where he guided the UK through the post-Brexit economic turbulence.

Commerce Secretary says deal with Canada would be 'complex'

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick cast doubt on the prospects of a swift agreement, pointing to Canada’s economic policies. “They have their socialist regime and it’s basically feeding off of America,” he told Fox Business. “I just don’t see how it works out perfectly.”

Carney, however, remains committed to renegotiating Canada’s trading terms. “I will fight to get the best deal,” he said Friday, underscoring his government’s focus on long-term restructuring rather than short-term appeasement.

Carney’s rise to power came amid public dissatisfaction with Trudeau’s leadership and mounting pressure from Trump’s trade agenda. 

"This is a very important moment for him, since he insisted during the campaign that he could take on Mr Trump," said Genevieve Tellier, a political scientist at the University of Ottawa.

Comparison to Zelensky raises stakes for Canadian leader

Observers have warned that Carney must navigate his meeting carefully, noting the fate of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who faced a heated confrontation with Trump and Vice President JD Vance earlier this year.

Tellier added that Carney’s advantage may lie in the contrast with his predecessor. “He is not Trudeau, the slick former prime minister whom Trump famously loathed and belittled as ‘governor’ of Canada,” she said.

With global attention on their meeting, Carney struck a confident tone upon his arrival in Washington:
“Canada and the United States are strongest when we work together, and that work starts now.”