President Donald Trump teased a “very, very big announcement” ahead of his upcoming trip to the Middle East.
Trump has a planned visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the coming days.
“We’re going to have a very, very big announcement to make, like as big as it gets,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, where he is meeting with Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney. “And I won’t tell you on what… and it’s very positive.”
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“It is really, really positive. And that announcement will be made either Thursday or Friday or Monday before we leave,” Trump added. “But it’ll be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject, very important subject. So you’ll all be here.”
After that, the president asked Carney if he’d like to say a few words.
“I’m on the edge of my seat,” Carney said, drawing laughter from the press before thanking Trump for his “hospitality” and “leadership.”
At the start of the meeting, Trump announced that the Houthis “don’t want to fight” any longer and agreed to stop its attacks on shipping lanes. In turn, the president said the U.S. would stop its bombardment of the Iran-backed terror group. The U.S. has been launching daily airstrikes on Yemen since March 15 to defend the freedom of navigation.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile that struck near the main terminal of Israel’s international airport in Tel-Aviv over the weekend.
The Israeli Cabinet voted to approve a plan to increase fighting in Gaza, and a senior Israeli defense official reportedly said Monday that Trump’s trip to the Middle East brings a “window of opportunity” for a potential deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which killed thousands and prompted the war.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation ‘Gideon Chariots’ will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” the Israeli defense official said, according to Reuters.
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In the Oval Office, Trump did not say whether the forthcoming announcement was related to the Israel-Hamas war.
He went on to discuss trade relations with Canada, the impact of the 145% tariff on China prompting major automobile and tech companies to invest in onshoring in the U.S., as well as the prospect of the U.S. one day obtaining control of Canada.
The president then circled back to clarify that the announcement would not necessarily be on trade.
“We’re going to have a great announcement. And I’m not necessarily saying it’s on trade,” Trump said. “We’re going to have a great announcement over the next few days. Announcement that will be, so, so incredible, so positive. And I’m not saying… I don’t want you to think it’s necessarily on trade.”
Trump said the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was agreed upon in 2020, would be renegotiated shortly, but was a “transitional” and “very positive step” away from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.)
Trump said NAFTA was the “worst trade deal in the history of our country, probably in the history of the world.”
Asked about a potential new trade deal with Canada with Carney in power, Trump said he has “a lot of respect” for the prime minister, who “ran a really great campaign.”
“Yeah, something could happen,” Trump said.
“Regardless of anything, we’re going to be friends with Canada,” he added.
Carney reiterated that Canada was not for sale, but Trump said, “I say never say never.”
“I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable, and only doable in a very friendly way,” Trump said. “If it’s to everybody’s benefit, you know, Canada loves us and we love Canada. That’s, I think, the number one thing that’s important. But we’ll see. I mean, over time, we’ll see what happens.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
