Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney boards a government plane in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, May 5, 2025, en route to Washington for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-05-06T10:58:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) Canadas new prime minister, Mark Carney, won the job with a promise to confront the increased aggression shown by President Donald Trump and hell 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 U.S. 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 Carneys Liberal Party to score a stunning comeback victory last month as the ongoing trade war and attacks on Canadian sovereignty have outraged voters.The Republican president has repeatedly threatened that he intends to make Canada the 51st state. He said in an interview with NBCs Meet the Press that aired Sunday that the border is an artificial line that prevents the two territories from forming a beautiful country. Trumps openly adversarial approach has raised questions for Carney and other world leaders on how to manage relations with the U.S. Some world leaders, such as the United Kingdoms prime minister, 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 shouldnt meet with Trump. Weve seen what he does. We saw what he did with Zelenskyy, Bothwell said. And he would sure as hell try to do the same with Carney. Its not in Carneys interest. Its not in Canadas interest.Trump and Carney will meet in the Oval Office and have lunch. Carney has stressed that he was elected to specifically stand up to the U.S. president and that Canada is in a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. Carney said he expects difficult but constructive conversations with his U.S. counterpart. Trump told reporters on Monday that he wasnt quite sure why Carney was visiting.Im not sure what he wants to see me about, Trump said. But I guess he wants to make a deal.U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick further stoked doubts about their interest in repairing the relationship with Canada in a Monday interview on Fox Business Networks Kudlow show.Asked if the U.S. could make a deal with Canada, Lutnick called the country a socialist regime that has been basically feeding off America. Lutnick said Tuesdays meeting would be fascinating.Carney, at a Friday news conference ahead of his trip, said the talks would focus on immediate trade pressures and the broader economic and national security relationships. He said his government would fight to get the best deal for Canada and take all the time necessary to do so, even as Canada pursues a parallel set of talks to deepen relations with other allies and lessen its commitments with the U.S.Trump has maintained that the U.S. doesnt need anything from Canada. He is actively going after a Canadian auto sector built largely by U.S. companies, saying, Theyre stopping work in Mexico, and theyre stopping work in Canada, and theyre all moving here. He also said the U.S. doesnt need Canadas energy though nearly one-fourth of the oil that the U.S. consumes daily comes from the province of Alberta. The president has also disparaged Canadas military commitments despite a partnership that ranges from the beaches of Normandy in World War II to remote stretches of Afghanistan. Trump has said that Canada spends less money on military than practically any nation in the world.They pay NATO less than any nation, he said. They think we are subsidizing. They think we are going to protect them, and, really, we are. But the truth is, they dont carry their full share, and its unfair to the United States and our taxpayers.Bothwell noted that Carney might be under little pressure to reach a quick deal as Trump has at times reversed, delayed or defanged his tariffs, such that over time Trump might be in a weaker position if talks are prolonged. It may not matter as much in the summer as it does today because every time hes made one of these announcements, next week its, Oh, I had my fingers crossed. I didnt mean it, he said of Trump.Daniel Bland, a political science professor at McGill University, said Carney needed the quickly scheduled meeting with Trump to address the trade war started by the U.S. Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum and tariffs on other products outside the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, in some cases ostensibly to address relatively low volumes of fentanyl intercepted at the border between the two countries.Carney wants to show that hes doing everything he can, including taking political risks to protect Canadian jobs in areas such as the auto industry, Bland said. If he had postponed his first meeting with President Trump for months and months, opposition parties and commentators could have accused him of being overly shy and doing a disservice to Canada because of that. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada.Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of Canadas exports go to the U.S. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto