Trump Jokes About Canada Becoming "51st US State" During Meeting with PM Mark Carney: Diplomatic Relations and Middle East Peace Discussions

US President Donald Trump jokingly referred to Canada as potentially the "51st US State" during a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The lighthearted moment showed Carney laughing along, with Trump acknowledging that while the two nations have experienced differences, he believes they can resolve them.

"I've been very creative... He said very carefully- Canada and the United States," Trump remarked, highlighting Carney's measured speaking style.

Trump continued, "We've had some natural conflict, but we'll probably work that out. We've had a strong relationship, and your hosting of the various countries that showed up was a beautiful job you did, and I appreciate it very much. We're going to be talking about trade. We're going to be talking about different things. We'll certainly be talking about Gaza."

The US President indicated that Gaza would be among the topics of discussion with Carney. "We're in serious negotiations to a conflict- you could say 3,000 years, but it's been raging for a long time, and there's a possibility we could have peace in the Middle East. Something beyond the Gaza situation. We want to release the hostages," he stated.

Trump expressed confidence in his plan, claiming worldwide support. "So our team is over there now. Another team just left, and every country in the world has supported the plan. I don't think there's anybody that hasn't approved that I've seen," Trump said, suggesting potential agreements between the US and Canada.

"There's a real chance we could do something, so you may have questions. In the meantime, we'll make deals and do things that are good for both of our countries," he added.

Prime Minister Carney praised Trump's leadership, describing him as a "transformative president."

"You are a transformative president. Since then, transformation in the economy, unprecedented commitment to the NATO partners to defence spending. Peace from India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Disabling Iran as a force of terror," Carney said.

As Carney began highlighting their discussion agenda, saying, "This is, in many respects, the most important..." Trump humorously interrupted with, "The merger of Canada and the United States!"

Despite the evident camaraderie between the leaders, underlying tensions existed, particularly as the US supports Israel while Canada recognized the Palestinian state on September 21.

During their previous meeting in May, Carney had directly told Trump that Canada would never be for sale, responding to Trump's repeated suggestions about purchasing or annexing Canada.