Trump holds meeting with leaders of Canada and Mexico following World Cup draw

US President Donald Trump met on Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Washington to address contentious issues surrounding migration and trade. Carney's spokeswoman, Audrey Champoux, told AFP via text that "they are speaking right now. Just the three of them," after the leaders attended the 2026 World Cup draw, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

This meeting marked the first official discussion between Trump and Sheinbaum. While Carney has visited the White House twice since Trump's return to office, this encounter represents his first substantial meeting with Trump since the US leader abruptly suspended trade talks over a controversial anti-tariff advertisement, aside from a brief interaction at a summit in South Korea.

Trump has imposed high tariffs on Canadian and Mexican exports not covered by the USMCA trade agreement, which Washington plans to renegotiate next year. He has also threatened additional measures if the two countries do not take stronger action against cross-border migration and drug trafficking, remarking that he would be "OK" with air strikes in Mexico targeting traffickersa statement Sheinbaum rejected, promising such strikes would never occur.

Earlier this year, Canada expressed outrage over Trump's suggestion that it could become the 51st US state. At recent G20 meetings in South Africa, Carney faced criticism when asked about his last conversation with Trump, replying, "Who cares?"

The three nations originally launched their joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup in 2017 during Trump's first term. Following Fridays talks, Trump stated that cooperation with Mexico and Canada on the tournament had been excellent, emphasizing that "the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding."

Author: Logan Reeves