Trump has said Canada should be the 51st state. Today, he meets its prime minister
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Trump, Carney Discuss Countries' Future Relationship in First Meeting
Above: U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the on May 6, 2025. Image copyright: Francis Chung/Contributor/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Carney owes a lot of credit for his election victory to Trump. Even if the two men disagree on tariffs and the issue of Canada becoming the 51st state, Carney shouldn't be so quick to reject the notion. Becoming a U.S. state could be beneficial to Canada and Trump will keep his options open as he continues doing what's best to advance U.S. interests.
Democratic narrative
Carney did a masterful job of standing up to Trump's bullying on the topic of becoming the 51st state. Trump had little pushback unlike during his contentious meeting earlier this year with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Trump's lack of understanding about America's relationship with Canada continues to be a troubling development in this alliance.