'Canada largest client of US': Mark Carney fact-checks Donald Trump in first meeting at White House

What began as a standard diplomatic visit quickly turned into a high-stakes exchange when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney fact-checked US President Donald Trump during their first official meeting at the White House on Tuesday.As cameras rolled in the Oval Office, Trump downplayed Canada’s trade significance to the United States, claiming, “We don’t do much business with Canada from our standpoint. They do a lot of business with us. We’re at like 4%.” But Carney, calm and composed, stepped in firmly.“Respectfully, Canadians’ view on this is not going to change on the 51st state,” Carney said, referring to his early days in office and Trump’s earlier remark about annexing Canada. He continued, “We are the largest client of the United States in the totality of all the goods.”As reported by CNN, Trump’s “4%” figure is false. In reality, Canada purchased about 17% of all US goods exports in February and March 2025, according to official US trade data—more than any other country. In total, Canada bought around $440 billion worth of US goods and services in 2024, making it the top destination for American exports, as confirmed by the US trade representative.Carney, pressing the point further, highlighted how deeply integrated both nations’ economies are. “We have a tremendous auto sector between the two of us. You know, 50% of a car that comes from Canada is American. That’s not like anywhere else in the world,” he said.According to the AP, Carney also stood firm on Canada’s sovereignty when Trump floated the idea of annexing Canada. “Some places are never for sale,” he told Trump directly. “Canada is one of them. And it won’t be for sale, ever.” Trump smirked and replied, “Never say never,” to which Carney responded with a quiet but resolute “Never, never, never.”Despite the tension, Trump appeared to appreciate Carney’s straightforward approach. “I like this guy,” the president said as the meeting wrapped up, a remark that seemed to signal respect more than irritation.But the session was emblematic of how Oval Office meetings have changed under Trump. As reported by AP, these events have evolved from formal photo ops into unpredictable exchanges where foreign leaders must choose between confrontation and diplomacy.During the meeting, Trump also wandered into unrelated topics, including complaints about California’s rail project, jabs at Barack Obama’s library, and a sudden announcement to halt bombing in Yemen, leaving Carney visibly uneasy. At one point, the Canadian leader’s lips tightened and his hands remained clasped as he struggled to reinsert the conversation into serious policy territory.Trump also repeated a long-debunked claim, stating that the US was “subsidising Canada to the tune of maybe $200 billion per year.” However, the actual US trade deficit with Canada in 2024 was about $36 billion, far from Trump’s exaggerated number, reported CNN. Even when counting only goods, the gap was around $71 billion, not a subsidy and nowhere near $200 billion.