“Maybe they will shoot you” — Trump’s joke to Canada’s PM after giving him a White House key

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joked about a gift President Donald Trump gave him a few months ago: a key that lets him enter the White House whenever he wants — unless the security guards decide to shoot him.

“I went to the White House last spring and, at the end of the meeting, President Trump told me: ‘I want to give you something truly special, Mark.’ I opened the box and it was a big gold key,” he said, speaking to investors in Toronto.

The former central banker said Trump had told him: “Yes, it’s a key to the White House. You’ll have it with you and they’ll let you in,” but then added jokingly: “Maybe they will shoot you.”

“That, in a way, sums up our relationship,” Carney continued with a laugh, stressing that he “greatly appreciates” Trump’s gift, whom he described as “a very good host.”

“But to be clear,” he concluded, continuing the joke for investors he hopes to attract to Canada: “If we give you a key to Canada, we won’t shoot you — we’ll welcome you.”

The trade war between the two neighboring countries has reached an unprecedented level after talks broke down on August 21. Carney has accused the United States of wanting to impose an “unfair” deal on Ottawa.