US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday when meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House that the United States and Canada "will eventually be able to reach a trade deal", but did not disclose a specific timetable or negotiation path for the deal.
Trump described the two countries as "naturally in competition" during the talks because both sides hope to gain an advantage in the manufacturing sector. He wants to make cars, and so do we. We are competing. And our advantage lies in having a huge domestic market. However, Trump also said that the two sides have "made significant progress" in the negotiations, stating, "We are studying various options and I believe we will eventually reach an agreement."
Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister in charge of trade with the United States, pointed out at a press conference on the same day that this round of talks was "more substantive than ever before". He disclosed that the leaders of the two countries have instructed officials to "finalize agreements as soon as possible" in key areas such as steel, aluminum and energy, and to use this as an opportunity to promote broader tariff negotiations, but LeBlanc refused to give a specific time limit for the negotiations.
This visit is Carney's second to the White House since he became prime minister earlier this year. At present, the trade volume between the United States and Canada amounts to as much as 900 billion US dollars. In his April campaign, Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada, promised to renegotiate a bilateral agreement covering trade and security. However, since he took office, Trump has instead raised tariffs on Canadian goods.
Carney emphasized during the meeting that Canada is the largest source of foreign investment for the United States and predicted that investment in the United States could "increase to 1 trillion US dollars within the next five years if we can reach the expected agreement." He said, "There are indeed competitive areas, and it is precisely in these areas that we must find solutions acceptable to both sides." But more often than not, we join hands to be stronger. This is the focus of our attention.
Although Trump praised Carney as "a world-class leader" during the meeting, US officials still hinted that they would not make too many concessions on key industries. U.S. Commerce Secretary Ruttnik said straightforwardly, "We must admit that there are inherent conflicts in certain areas, such as the automotive manufacturing industry."
At present, the United States imposes tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles and wood from Canada, and has raised the tariff rate on goods that do not meet the standards of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) from 25% to 35%. Trade tensions led to a decline in manufacturing investment in Canada, causing the economy to contract in the second quarter. In August, in an effort to ease the situation, Carney announced the cancellation of most retaliatory tariffs against the United States, maintaining only countermeasures against products such as steel and aluminum that have been sanctioned by the US.
In addition to trade issues, Trump and Carney also discussed the 2026 USMCA review mechanism. Trump said that the United States "will continue to impose tariffs" and once again criticized Canada's dairy supply management system, calling the restrictions on exports to the United States "unfair". He hinted that the US and Canada could renegotiate the trilateral agreement or sign bilateral trade agreements on their own. "I have no preference, but what I want to sign is the agreement that is most beneficial to the US." Of course, Canada will also be taken into consideration.
Carney visited Mexico last month and promised President Simbaum to enhance trilateral cooperation before the review period. His team also attempted to persuade the United States to recognize the importance of strengthening the North American supply chain, especially in the field of critical mineral resources.
In addition, Carney also agreed to increase military spending to meet NATO's demands. Trump said that the two countries would also discuss the joint missile defense system "Golden Dome" plan in a closed-door meeting.
