Mark Carney's visit to Washington DC began with some uncertainty from the host himself.
I'm not sure what he wants to talk about, I'm guessing he wants to make a deal, said Trump the day before Carney, whose Liberal Party recently won Canada's parliamentary election, would arrive.
When the two finally met and spoke in front of their more private lunch, he brought up his idea that Canada should be incorporated into the US, and that the countries could "enter into a beautiful marriage".
Carney's response came directly:
After meeting Canada's owners during the recent election campaign, I can say that it is not for sale and never will be.
But Trump didn't seem so sure:
Never say never, he replied.
Behind closed doors, they discussed tariffs and trade agreements, said Carney and called the conversation "very constructive".
I didn't expect any white smoke, this is negotiations, complex negotiations with many aspects. But we made progress, he said at a press conference.
But exactly what the two leaders agreed on, he wouldn't say.
It was behind closed doors for a reason.
On a question from a Canadian journalist about whether he asked Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state, the answer was:
Yes. I did it today.
What did he respond?
I don't know. He's the president and he's his own person.
"Don't think I'll pretend"
It's certainly tradition that Canadian and American leaders visit each other soon after an election victory, but Donald Trump has not lived up to it.
Instead, he has reiterated his message that Canada should be the next state in the US and imposed 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada, with the exception of oil and energy where the tariffs are 10 percent. Canada has responded with 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on American products.
On Carney's agenda was also the question of whether Trump, like his predecessors, will attend the annual G7 summit that Canada is hosting in June.
The answer is, according to Carney, yes. The Prime Minister says the two will hold new talks during the meeting.
