Trump met with leaders of Mexico and Canada after World Cup draw

(Patria) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with the leaders of Mexico and Canada on Friday to discuss trade issues, after the leaders hosted the draw for the 2026 World Cup at the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington, Reuters reported.

The White House stated that Trump spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum following the star-studded event, but provided no details about their discussions.

Canadian media reported that the meeting lasted 45 minutes and that the leaders spoke privately, without staff present.

Trump was optimistic about the talks prior to the meetings, saying trade and immigration would be on the agenda. “We’re going to meet with both of them and we get along great,” Trump told reporters upon arriving at the event.

Trump spoke with Carney and Sheinbaum as they watched one of the biggest events in the sports world from a box at the Washington arts center.

The meeting occurred as the United States, Mexico, and Canada prepare for a mandatory formal review of the three-country trade agreement in 2026, amid rising U.S. tariffs and Washington’s calls to renegotiate or potentially withdraw from the pact.

This was Sheinbaum and Trump’s first in-person meeting since she took office last October.

Trump has largely praised the Mexican leader, while simultaneously pressuring the country to do more to combat drug cartels and the flow of drugs like fentanyl into the United States. He has vowed to maintain U.S. tariffs of 25% on Mexican goods that do not comply with the USMCA, while greater progress is expected in the fight against drugs.

Relations with Canada have been more strained. Trump had a friendly meeting with Carney in October, but then suspended all trade talks with Canada after the province of Ontario aired a commercial featuring a video of former President Ronald Reagan warning that tariffs lead to trade wars and economic disaster. Trump also threatened to increase tariffs on Canadian imports, though he has not yet done so.

The USMCA, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020 and was negotiated during Trump’s first presidential term, requires the three countries to conduct a joint review after six years.

Trump could decide to withdraw from the trade agreement next year, Politico reported on Thursday, citing U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Greer did not repeat the comment at the event later on Thursday, telling a reporter that the USMCA is the law of the land, a law passed by Congress, and that Canada and Mexico are the United States’ largest export destinations.