Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joked Tuesday that President Donald Trump once gave him a box containing gold keys to the White House, along with an unusual warning that captured the current state of relations between the neighboring countries. Speaking at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, Carney recounted receiving a ceremonial key from his hometown of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, before contrasting it with a gift he later received from Trump. According to Carney, Trump presented him with a box of gold keys to the White House and remarked that if he brought one of the keys, "They'll let you in." Carney then added that Trump followed up with a darker punchline: "Maybe they'll shoot you." "And that sort of sums up the relationship," Carney told attendees.
"In Canada, you get the key. In the U.S., they might shoot you." Carney said Trump presented him with the key during a tense, May 6, 2025 White House meeting that focused on tariffs, trade disputes and the future of U.S.-Canada relations. Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email on Tuesday evening for comment.
The remark drew attention as Carney delivered a broader speech about Canada's economic future amid a prolonged trade dispute with the United States. While emphasizing that Canada and the U.S. will "always be neighbors," Carney signaled that Ottawa is prepared to take a long-term approach to negotiations with Washington rather than rush into a new trade agreement. He said Canada intends to emerge from the trade conflict as a stronger and more independent economy.
"And to our American friends, let me say this: We will always be neighbors," Carney said Tuesday. "When those opportunities return, Canada will be an even better partner — stronger, more resilient, more independent." Without mentioning Trump by name, Carney also appeared to criticize the U.S. president's approach to international trade, arguing that relationships are increasingly being replaced by transactional, zero-sum thinking. "Our reputation — as a reliable, predictable partner — has rarely been more valuable in a world where transactions are replacing relationships, and zero-sum is favored over win-win," he said.
The comments come against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Ottawa and Washington. Trade talks between the two countries collapsed last month before the United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on around $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, prompting retaliatory measures from Canada. Washington has since announced additional restrictions affecting Canadian products.
Trump has repeatedly used tariffs as leverage against trading partners and has frequently urged manufacturers to relocate investment and production to the United States. He has also periodically revived his suggestion that Canada could become the "51st state," a proposal Canadian leaders have rejected. Despite the tensions, Carney noted that roughly 80 percent of trade between the two countries remains tariff-free and said a mutually beneficial agreement remains possible.
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