Washington: Canada’s new prime minister Mark Carney won the job with a promise to confront the increased aggression shown by President Donald Trump — and he’ll have the opportunity to do that in a face-to-face Oval Office meeting on Tuesday.
Trump has shattered a decades-old alliance by saying he wants to make Canada the 51st US state and levying steep tariffs against an essential partner in the manufacturing of autos and the supply of oil, electricity and other goods.
The outrage provoked by Trump enabled Carney’s Liberal Party to score a stunning comeback victory last month as the ongoing trade war and attacks on Canadian sovereignty have outraged voters.
He said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday that the border is an “artificial line” that prevents the two territories from forming a “beautiful country.”
Trump’s openly adversarial approach has raised questions for Carney and other world leaders on how to manage relations with the US.
Some world leaders, such as the UK’s PM Keir Starmer engaged in a charm offensive. Others, such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were met by Trump with anger for not being sufficiently deferential.
Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, said Carney shouldn’t meet with Trump.