Trump talks trade with Canada, Mexico leaders at World Cup draw
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US President Donald Trump (right) met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on the sidelines of the draw for the 2026 World Cup.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Dec 5, with the talks partly focused on the future of a North American free trade deal.
The leaders met in Washington on the sidelines of the draw for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“The three leaders met for approximately 45 minutes,” Mr Carney’s spokesperson Audrey Champoux said in an email.
“They’ve agreed to keep working together on CUSMA,” she added, using the Canadian acronym for the existing free trade deal between the three countries, which Americans call the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The USMCA deal was struck during Mr Trump’s first term.
Mr Trump has slapped steep tariffs on exports from Canada and Mexico that do not fall under the USMCA, which Washington is seeking to renegotiate next year.
The Dec 5 talks were the first between Mr Trump and Ms Sheinbaum.
Mr Carney has visited the White House twice since Mr Trump’s return to power, but it was his first encounter with Mr Trump – except for a brief meeting at a summit in South Korea – since the US leader suspended trade talks in a bizarre row over an anti-tariff ad.
Mr Trump has also threatened further punishment if they fail to curb cross-border migration and drug trafficking – and irked Ms Sheinbaum by saying he would be “OK” with air strikes on Mexico to tackle traffickers.
She has vowed the strikes will never happen.
Canada also was outraged by Mr Trump’s calls earlier this year for it to become the 51st US state.
Mr Carney drew criticism at recent G-20 meetings in South Africa when, asked by a reporter when he last spoke to Mr Trump, answered, “Who cares?“
The three countries launched their joint World Cup bid in 2017 during Mr Trump’s first term in the White House.
Mr Trump said on Dec 5 that the United States had worked closely with Mexico and Canada over the tournament, adding “the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding.” AFP
