What Trump and Carney discussed over lunch in Washington, according to a senior official

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 2:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

After their Oval Office brushwood nether the glare of the TV lights, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his U.S. counterpart retreated to the Roosevelt Room for a moving luncheon connected Tuesday. Much of the mealtime chatter was astir overseas argumentation issues, according to a elder Canadian official.

The 2 leaders got on rather well, the authoritative said, and the president stressed astatine the commencement and extremity of the luncheon that it was an honour to big the caller premier curate astatine the White House.

Trump said astatine the clip helium regarded the day's discussions arsenic "great" — matching comments helium aboriginal told the White House property pool.

"He's a bully man. We get on precise well. We had a large gathering contiguous — really. I deliberation the relationship's going to beryllium precise strong," Trump said of Carney.

While determination were niceties, Carney was wide with Trump successful private, arsenic helium was successful his nationalist statements earlier the press, that Canada and the U.S. coming unneurotic arsenic 1 state is simply a non-starter, according to the official, who spoke to CBC News and different reporters travelling with the premier curate connected inheritance and with the information that they not beryllium named.

Carney told reporters helium personally asked Trump to stop with the annexationist talk.

WATCH | Carney said helium pushed for tariffs to beryllium lifted: 

But the Canadian delegation near the gathering with a clearer knowing that the president truly thinks it would beryllium a bully thought for Canada to go the 51st authorities — these are not conscionable comments designed to provoke, the authoritative said.

Trump, however, conceded it "takes 2 tango" and it's not apt to hap with the immense bulk of radical successful this state steadfastly opposed.

The premier curate besides relayed to the president implicit luncheon that his tariffs connected Canadian goods need to beryllium dismantled if there's going to beryllium a caller trading statement betwixt the 2 countries, arsenic some leaders discussed determination should be, the authoritative said. Any commercialized "deal" for Canada indispensable see the U.S. lifting its tariffs.

While Carney, his squad and astir Canadians astatine location were seized with the 51st authorities taunts and Trump's punishing tariffs, the president himself was anxious to interruption breadstuff with Carney and sermon planetary issues that are unfolding connected his watch, namely the Russia-Ukraine war, hostility with China and the concern successful Iran, the authoritative said.

The authoritative said Trump wanted to get Carney's position connected issues that the president is preoccupied with arsenic helium tries to fulfil his run committedness to swiftly bring the warfare connected Ukraine to an extremity and tamp down Iran's atomic ambitions — 2 issues that are proving to beryllium peculiarly challenging for the administration.

Trump besides asked Carney to measurement successful on Israel and Gaza — though determination was comparatively small speech astir that issue, the authoritative said — and the Houthis successful Yemen, which the president spoke astir astatine immoderate magnitude successful beforehand of the White House cameras successful the nationalist information of their get-together.

The information that the president sought input from Carney connected these files was seen, the authoritative said, arsenic an "encouraging sign" that Trump respects Canada's caller person and regards him arsenic a worthy equal.

It's mean for satellite leaders to sermon overseas argumentation issues and bounce ideas disconnected 1 another, and Trump's willingness to bash that with Carney astatine their archetypal gathering was different impervious constituent that the time was a comparative success, the authoritative said.

Trump did not person a circumstantial inquire from Canada connected these overseas files, the authoritative said.

WATCH | Carney calls Trump gathering 'constructive': 

While planetary affairs took up a ample portion of the luncheon, Carney and Trump besides spoke astir issues person to home, including fentanyl — the evident crushed wherefore the U.S. slapped large tariffs connected Canada, Mexico and China earlier this year.

The authoritative said Trump is personally precise "conversant" connected the contented and the 2 leaders had a reasonably elaborate treatment astir cartels and the proviso chains that are fuelling the cause crisis. In Canada unsocial determination person been 50,928 evident opioid toxicity deaths since 2016.

One of Trump's elder advisers, Stephen Miller, was connected manus for the luncheon and spoke astir the cause contented arsenic well, the authoritative said.

Carney utilized the fentanyl information of the speech to again mildly property the constituent that Canada is conscionable not a large root of the drug, and the government's billion-dollar borderline program has resulted successful a meaningful diminution successful the travel of amerciable narcotics and migrants, the authoritative said.

The latest figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) amusement 5 kilograms of fentanyl person been seized astatine the bluish U.S. borderline truthful acold this twelvemonth — compared 3,040 kilograms astatine the southwestern one.

Canada's borderline advancement should effect successful the fentanyl-related tariffs being lifted, Carney told Trump, according to the official.

It's wide that volition beryllium a speech for different day, the authoritative said.

WATCH | Carney 'passed the test,' says erstwhile diplomat: 

Besides fentanyl, the president showed a peculiar involvement successful the Arctic, the authoritative said.

And, astatine 1 point, the speech hinged connected vigor and captious minerals — topics Canada is ever blessed to speech astir due to the fact that it shows the Americans that this bilateral narration is not conscionable astir commercialized but besides information and defence, the authoritative said.

In his nationalist remarks, Trump said helium was blessed to perceive Canada volition walk much connected defence and acknowledged the state buys a batch of U.S.-made equipment.

"We're protecting Canada if you ever had a problem," helium said.