President Donald Trump cracked a joke about a “merger” between the United States and Canada during their bilateral meeting on Tuesday, sending the Oval Office into laughter.
Trump showed off his sharp wit and great comedic timing when Carney delivered brief remarks before they fielded questions from the press.
After Carney commended Trump on peace accomplishments and getting member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to commit to five percent defense spending, he segued into the “most important” topic of the day.
But before he could mention the potential peace in Gaza, Trump interjected, “The merger of Canada and the United States,” drawing laughs from throughout the Oval Office.
“I’m only kidding!” he clarified.
“That wasn’t where I was going,” Carney responded, before lauding Trump for his efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East with his proposed plan.
“On this solemn day of commemoration of the horrific attacks of October 7, for the first time in decades, hundreds of years, thousands of years, this prospect of peace that you’ve made possible–Canada stands foursquare behind those efforts and we’ll do whatever we can to support that,” Carney said.
Trump has floated the idea of bringing Canada into the United States on multiple occasions since winning the presidency last November. After former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Mar-a-Lago in December 2024, Trump took to Truth Social to mock Trudeau as the governor of the 51st state.
“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” wrote Trump, who had already announced a plan for 25 percent tariffs on Canada due to what he described as the flow of illicit drugs into the United States and uncontrolled illegal immigration.
“I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in-depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!” he added.
In March, Trump told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on The Ingraham Angle that “Canada was meant to be the 51st state, because we subsidize Canada by $200 billion a year.”