Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Washington next week and plans to see U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Ottawa, Carney said he will be in the U.S. capital for events relating to the upcoming FIFA World Cup. “I’ll be participating alongside President Trump, the co-host and the FIFA president,” he said. “And I’ll see the president around there. But again, I don’t want to over signal things. ... They haven’t reengaged yet.” Carney would not say whether he would bring up the sectoral supports or trade in general with Trump when they see each other. When asked whether he is looking to restart trade talks, Carney said Canada stands ready to reengage when the Americans are. The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is set for Dec. 5 at noon ET from the Kennedy Center. Carney also confirmed that he spoke to Trump within the last 24 hours. When asked what the two spoke about, Carney said, “it wasn’t newsworthy.” When pressed by a reporter at the G20 summit in South Africa about when he last spoke to Trump prior to this, Carney dismissed the question, responding with: “Who cares?” “I mean, it’s a detail,” Carney said. “It’s a detail. I spoke to him. I’ll speak to him again when it matters.” This would be Carney’s third visit since the federal election in April, amid a trade war with the U.S. The conflict began in February when Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, affecting steel, aluminum, copper, autos and lumber. Talks towards a new economic and security deal stalled last month after an ad by the government of Ontario, which featured former U.S. president Ronald Regan, criticized tariffs. Despite previous optimism from Carney and Canadians officials, including hopes for a steel and aluminum agreement by the APEC Summit, progress has slowed down.
|