U.S. President Donald Trump says he plans to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney “very shortly,” and remarked that the Liberal Party leader “hated Trump” less than Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
“He’s a very nice gentleman, and he’s going to come to the White House very shortly, within the next week or less,” Trump said of Carney while speaking to reporters during a cabinet meeting on April 30.
The U.S. president said he has a “great relationship” with Carney, and that the former central banker called him on April 29 and asked to “make a deal.” According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, Trump congratulated Carney during the call, the two agreed on the importance of Canada and the United States working together as “independent, sovereign nations,” and had agreed to meet in person.
Trump also said that both Carney and Poilievre “hated Trump” but that “it was the one that hated Trump, I think the least, that won.”
“I actually think the Conservative hated me much more than the so-called Liberal. He’s a pretty liberal guy,” Trump added.
The Liberal Party won the April 28 election with a minority government of 169 seats, which was three short of the 172 needed for a majority government. The Conservatives won 144 seats while Poilievre lost his own seat in the Carleton riding, while the Bloc Québécois won 22 seats, the NDP won seven seats, and the Greens won a single seat.
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The election revolved heavily around Trump’s tariffs on Canada and his repeated comments about making Canada into the 51st U.S. state. Carney, who became prime minister on March 14 after winning the Liberal leadership, called a snap election soon after. Carney had framed himself as the leader best suited to negotiate with Trump and end the tariffs.
Trump and Carney previously spoke over the phone on March 28, which the U.S. president called an “extremely productive call” and said the two would hold discussions after Canada’s election. While Carney said that Trump had “respected Canada’s sovereignty” during the call, he later confirmed reports that Trump had again brought up the 51st state at the time.
Poilievre had said during the election that a Tory government would push for early renegotiations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), while recommending the two countries pause their tariffs during the negotiation process. He also said that Canada’s increase in military spending, long a U.S. priority, would be dependent on the removal of American tariffs on Canada.
On April 29, Donald Trump Jr. re-posted a message by Rumble CEO Chris Pavloski on social media platform X, which said Poilievre “should’ve taken the position as the only person who can unite with the U.S.A“ but had instead chosen ”Trump hate and joined the Liberals.”
Poilievre repeatedly said during the election campaign that Canada would never become the 51st state, and told Trump to “knock it off” with his talk of merging the countries.
Pavloski also said on X that he tried to arrange a meeting between Poilievre and Trump Jr. at a Rumble Live event in Toronto, but Poilievre “refused to even engage or meet Don Jr.“ Trump Jr. replied to the post saying ”true story.”
