On the 6th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at the appointment ceremony of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C., announced a “very big announcement like never seen before” in anticipation of his upcoming visit to the Middle East next week.
During a meeting in the Oval Office with Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump mentioned, “There will be a very, very big announcement,” and added, “I won’t say what it’s about, but it’s going to be very positive.” He continued, stating it will be “the most significant announcement on a very important topic in many years,” and he expressed his wish for all present journalists to be there.
President Trump is set to tour Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from the 13th to the 16th. He noted that it could happen before departure, on Thursday, Friday, or Monday—which means the 8th, 9th, or 12th.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded with a smile, saying, “I am really looking forward to it.” Although the two leaders discussed trade issues and the Ukraine war during their meeting, they did not reach a specific agreement.
However, Prime Minister Carney acknowledged “progress” was made. President Trump emphasized once more that the upcoming announcement “is not related to trade and will be truly shocking and a positive development for America and the American people.” White House officials informed the press that evening that specifics about the announcement had not been established.
During the talks, President Trump reiterated his previous stance of wanting to “make Canada the 51st state of the United States.” Prime Minister Carney firmly dismissed this, saying, “Canada is not a country to be sold.”
He stated, “As seen in real estate, some places never go on sale. Canada will never be for sale, now or in the future.” In response, President Trump remarked, “There is no such thing as never,” but avoided making a strong rebuttal.
Instead, he eased the atmosphere by praising Prime Minister Carney’s election victory as “one of the greatest comebacks in political history.” Notably, Trump refrained from calling Prime Minister Carney an “American governor” like he did with former Prime Minister Trudeau. When asked why, he answered, “I haven’t done that yet, and I probably won’t in the future.”