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Carney tried to interject a few times, eventually landing his key points.

When Trump touted Canada as the 51st state, the prime minister told him flatly Canada was 鈥渘ot for sale,鈥� would 鈥渘ever鈥� join the United States but is willing to work with Trump on a new trade and security partnership.

And when Trump circled back to the 51st state, Carney reminded him that in real estate, 鈥渢here are some places that are never for sale,鈥� like the White House and Buckingham Palace.

鈥淗aving met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign the last several months, it’s not for sale, it won’t be for sale ever,鈥� said Carney.

鈥淭ime will tell,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淏ut I say, never say never.鈥�

The prime minister said there are changes needed to the current trade deal, noting Trump鈥檚 tariffs use its rules to do carve-outs on the U.S. surcharges.

But it was mostly Trump鈥檚 show, before the two leaders and a gaggle of cabinet ministers and senior staffers went behind closed doors.

In all, after two hours of exchanges, including a 75-minute one-on-one, Carney called the day 鈥渧ery constructive鈥� and insisted聽鈥� despite Trump鈥檚 own Oval Office criticisms of Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal as transitional, on the verge of renegotiation if not termination, and possibly unnecessary聽鈥� that Trump agreed to negotiate a new deal with Canada.

Carney insisted Trump had said as much, and in French said it was 鈥渃lear鈥� that 鈥渨e began the renegotiation of our trading relationship today, including NAFTA.鈥�

鈥淭he question is, how we will co-operate in the future, how we can build an economic and security relationship built on mutual respect,鈥� Carney said.

But Carney acknowledged there is no relief from Trump鈥檚 import duties against Canadian autos, steel and aluminum, or the so-called 鈥渂order-related鈥� tariffs on Canadian goods that don鈥檛 comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal, adding that was no 鈥渟urprise鈥� to him.

鈥淟ook, we have more, a lot more work to do. I’m not trying to suggest at any respect that we can have one meeting, and everything’s changed, but now we are engaged, and very fully engaged.鈥�

Trump in the Oval Office said he has no intention of lifting tariffs on Canada, and wasn鈥檛 seeking any concession other than 鈥渇riendship,鈥� saying that鈥檚 鈥渏ust the way it is.鈥�

And yet, Trump hinted at a “big” announcement to come.

Later Tuesday, the Financial Times reported the U.K. and U.S. are on the verge of a deal that would see steel and auto exports to the U.K. partially exempted from 25 per cent tariffs. The Financial Times said the U.K. was prepared to reduce its tariffs on American auto and agricultural imports, but wouldn’t accept U.S. food production standards, including hormone-treated beef.

Nevertheless, senior Canadian officials, speaking on background, said overall, the Canada-U.S. meetings and the tone throughout was positive. One official, who briefed Canadian reporters on condition it was for background purposes only, said the tone was a more serious engagement than had been the case under Justin Trudeau聽鈥� whom the president openly disdained on Tuesday as a leader “I didn’t like.”

The president had sought Carney鈥檚 views on a range of other issues like China, Russia, Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East in private, the official said.

Trump at another event later in the day assessed that the meetings with Carney had gone 鈥渧ery well.鈥�

鈥淎s far as calling him Governor Carney聽鈥� no, I haven’t done that yet, and maybe I won’t. I did have a lot of fun with Trudeau. But I think this is, this is a big step up, it’s a good step up for Canada.鈥�

The day started on a slightly different note.

The U.S. president was late to receive Carney at the outset, posting an oddly provocative welcome for the prime minister on his Truth Social account.

As Carney鈥檚 motorcade cooled its heels near the White House awaiting the cue to arrive, Trump posted his long-standing, erroneous assertion that the U.S. 鈥渟ubsidizes鈥� Canada via the imbalance in trade.

About 20 minutes later, Carney arrived at the North Portico entrance, they shook hands briefly, waved closed hands at reporters, before heading into their long-awaited meeting in the Oval Office.

Flanked by several of their respective cabinet members and senior staffers, the two leaders started off with compliments, before Trump pivoted to his pet themes.

He even criticized Canada鈥檚 former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his then-trade minister Chrystia Freeland, said the U.S. provides military protection to Canada for 鈥渇ree,鈥� and said he doesn鈥檛 know if the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade 鈥渋s necessary anymore.鈥�

He said it 鈥渢erminates鈥� next year, erroneously describing the upcoming scheduled review of the trade agreement he signed in 2018.

鈥淲e’ll see what happens. You know, we’re going to be starting to possibly renegotiate that, if it’s even necessary. I don’t know that it’s necessary anymore, but it served a very good purpose. And the biggest purpose it served is we got rid of NAFTA.鈥�

They then held a working lunch with their officials, dining on baby butter lettuce salad with apple and fennel, thyme roasted chicken, and possibly little cakes designed to appeal to Carney鈥檚 CV: maple pear 鈥渇inanciers.鈥�

Back in Canada, Carney was praised for how he handled the meetings.

At Queen’s Park, Premier Doug Ford said Carney looked “very comfortable” in the Oval Office meeting.

鈥淚t was very productive. He held his own. It’s the beginning of something a lot better than the last prime minister,” said Ford.

“It’s very obvious that President Trump likes Prime Minister Carney a lot more than he likes prime minister Trudeau,鈥� said the premier.

Flavio Volpe, head of the Canadian Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, said he was “satisfied” that Carney had conveyed a clear message. “I think he said what needed to be said, firmly, and he also knows, I think he showed that he knows, there’s no controlling Donald Trump in front of cameras, but I think, he set the level for the meeting and I was satisfied.”

On auto tariffs, Volpe said there was “nothing new there. They like to push strongly publicly, but they’ve already come back from the brink three times and relented on auto parts (tariffs). I think it’s possible that we find our way to getting the auto tariffs removed. It was just a question of how much we were willing to pay.”

Volpe said Trump is “not going to make those concessions in public. And one of the things that is immutable is Canadian companies don’t make Canadian cars; those are American companies making them, and so ultimately that’s an easier place to make a concession as an American president than on some of the other stuff.”

Candace Laing, head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said the 鈥渃hance for a relationship reset was much needed.鈥�

鈥淲e are impressed with the tone of the meeting and the momentum toward a reliable, close economic and security relationship.鈥�

Yet Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. doesn’t need Canadian steel and aluminum was met with skepticism聽鈥� and some scorn聽鈥� from industry associations in Canada.

Catherine Cobden, president of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, said Trump’s goal of not using foreign steel just isn’t realistic.

“Their vision of supplying 100 per cent of their own steel might be laudable. But they’re currently 26 million tons per year short of that vision,” said Cobden.

Still, Trump’s threat to continue tariffs on steel and aluminum聽鈥� combined with cheap steel imports from China, India and other countries聽鈥� are an “urgent, existential” issue for the Canadian steel industry, Cobden said.

Government procurement at all levels should require the use of Canadian steel. The government also needs to put a tariff on cheap steel imports, Cobden added.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 ride out however many years might be ahead of us with this tariff,鈥� Cobden said.

Trump is shooting his own economy聽鈥� and the U.S. military聽鈥� in the foot by continuing to impose a 25 per cent tariff on aluminum imports, argued Jean Simard, CEO of the Aluminum Association of Canada.

“They’re hurting themselves right now. At some point, they won’t be able to afford to keep paying 25 per cent more,” said Simard, adding that the U.S. needs what Canada has, despite what he sees as Trump’s bluster. “This whole thing about saying ‘we don鈥檛 need this, we don鈥檛 need that’ is a ploy from someone used to negotiating in real estate deals: You downplay the value of what the other side has.”

Replacing imported aluminum with a domestic supply would take years, tens of billions of dollars, and more electricity than the U.S. currently produces, Simard said.

鈥淭hey鈥檇 need the equivalent of five more Hoover Dams just to supply the electricity they鈥檇 need to run the smelters,鈥� said Simard. 鈥淚n this day and age, if you were spending that kind of money for electricity, would you do it for an AI data centre, or for a material you can already get from your neighbour?鈥�

With files from Josh Rubin and Robert Benzie