WASHINGTON – A meeting between the leaders of Canada and the United States is not usually considered a high-stakes showdown, but there was little ordinary about this one. Here was newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney making his first visit to the Oval Office to see President Donald Trump, who has spent months musing about turning America's northern neighbor into the 51st state.
It didn't take long for a reporter to ask about what was on everyone's mind. Trump said he was still interested in annexing Canada, describing the border between the two countries as nothing more than an arbitrary line.
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Carney's campaign was fueled by a wave of anger at Trump's aggressive rhetoric, and now was his chance to defend his country to the president's face. He was polite and firm.
"Some places are never for sale," Carney said. Canada is one of them, he added, and “it won't be for sale, ever.”
Trump gave a little shrug and raised his eyebrows. “Never say never,” he responded.
Carney mouthed the words “never, never, never.”
The interaction offered a glimpse into how Trump has transformed Oval Office meetings from brief and bland encounters into precarious affairs that often force foreign leaders to choose between placating or confronting the American president. His approach can be thrilling for supporters and destabilizing for diplomats accustomed to a more deliberative approach to international relations.
“There is no formula for dealing with this,” said Daniel Mulhall, who was Ireland’s ambassador to the U.S. during Trump’s first term. He described the president's unpredictable behavior as a “risk factor” and “an extraordinary departure from the norm."
It appears that Carney struck the right balance, at least in Trump's mind. As the meeting ended, the president said, “I like this guy."
Carney grinned.
Trump has rewritten the rules
An invitation to the Oval Office has long been the height of international prestige, but the meetings were rarely dramatic. Journalists were ushered into the room to take pictures and, if they were lucky, ask a couple of questions while leaders made perfunctory remarks.
Now, they're raucous episodes in a foreign policy reality show, starring Trump. While the president can be a gracious host, he openly complains about visitors' countries — their trade policies, their lack of defense spending, their perceived ingratitude. He's also willing to take question upon question on a range of topics from reporters, turning guests into silent spectators.
Sixteen foreign leaders have visited the White House since Trump returned to office, outpacing Barack Obama and Joe Biden at similar points in their presidencies.
"Thanks to this president’s commitment to transparency and accessibility, Americans can watch his foreign policy agenda play out in real time — presenting an opportunity for both foreign leaders and the president to convey their message to the American people," said a statement from Anna Kelly, a White House deputy press secretary.
The meetings sometimes become endurance tests. On Tuesday, Carney listened to Trump criticize California's delayed high-speed rail project, boast about upgrading the Oval Office with “great love and 24-karat gold” and make a surprise announcement that the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen.
Trump also went on an extended tangent about Obama's plans for his presidential library in Chicago, claiming that there are delays because his predecessor “only wants woke people to build it.”
“He wanted to be very politically correct, and he didn’t use good, hard, tough, mean construction workers," Trump claimed.
As time dragged on, Carney’s lips tightened, his mouth twitched and his eyes darted around the room. He kept his hands clasped in front of him, except for largely futile gestures as he tried to get a word in.
El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele was more at ease during his own meeting with Trump. He grinned as Trump bragged about getting “the highest mark” on his latest cognitive test, criticized a reporter’s “low ratings” and declared himself “very flexible” on tariffs.
Elise Labott, a longtime journalist who is now a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, dismissed the White House's characterization of the encounters as evidence of the president being transparent.
“It’s just another part of the show," she said. Oval Office meetings, she added, have been "hijacked for part of the circus.”
Foreign leaders use pivots and deflection
Foreign leaders often walk a careful line to avoid publicly confronting Trump, and they often rely on quick pivots when difficult subjects arise.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was in the Oval Office while Trump talked about annexing Greenland — which is the territory of Denmark, another NATO ally.
Rutte said, “I don’t want to drag NATO in that" and quickly shifted to an area of agreement. When it comes to the issue of security in the Arctic, Rutte told Trump, “you are totally right.”
Jordanian King Abdullah II squirmed through a meeting where Trump explained his idea for the United States to take over Gaza and expel Palestinians from their homes. It's among the most sensitive issues for Abdullah, whose country is home to more than two million Palestinian refugees, and he sidestepped questions about Trump's proposal. It wasn't until after the meeting that he posted about his opposition to Trump's idea on social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron was the rare leader to correct Trump without facing a backlash. When the U.S. leader claimed that Europe was lending Ukraine money — instead of donating it outright — Macron gently placed his left hand on Trump’s right forearm to interject.
Trump rolled with it. “If you believe that, it’s OK with me," he told reporters.
No meeting has gone as poorly as Trump’s sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February. After a heated exchange over the best way to end the war with Russia, Trump told him, “It's going to be very hard to do business like this.”
“You have to be thankful," Trump told Zelenskyy. "You don't have the cards.”
As journalists left the room, Trump added, “This is going to be great television.”
Trump keeps leaders on their toes
Rufus Gifford, former chief of protocol for Biden, said Trump was successful at little more than getting attention for himself.
“Donald Trump has an ability to have eyeballs on him. That is, without a doubt, impressive," he said. "But just because he’s able to get people to watch him doesn’t mean the strategy is smart or good for the United States of America.”
Max Bergmann, a former State Department official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the meetings are "always going to be really challenging because the president can be volatile.”
“It will give a lot of diplomats around the world pause about whether they want to schedule a meeting," he said.
But a meeting with Trump is a hard thing to avoid, especially for American allies.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepped intensively for his first encounter with Trump, understanding that the president prizes personal relationships and it’s hard to recover if he dislikes you.
Starmer handed the president a written invitation from King Charles III for a state visit and praised him for returning a bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office. He also thanked Trump for changing the conversation on Ukraine — even though he did that by siding more with Russia than European allies want.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin came out largely unscathed by taking a roll-with-the-punches approach — not contradicting Trump when he claimed Ireland “took” U.S. companies through “improper taxation” — while engaging the president over boxing and golf.
“Every leader has to have their own strategy," Mulhall said.
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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.