Washington, DC [US], April 16 (ANI): US President Donald Trump still maintains his position on Canada, and he believes that Canada would greatly benefit from becoming the 51st state of the United States of America, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing on Tuesday (local time).

When asked whether Trump's tone on Canada-US ties has shifted in the past few weeks and he has stopped talking about Canada becoming the 51st state of the US, Leavitt responded, 'I would reject the president's position on Canada has shifted, perhaps, he just hasn't been asked about Canada by questions from this group in the Oval Office when they see him almost every day. However, the president still maintains his position on Canada. The United States has been subsidising Canada's national defence, and he believes that Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state of the United States of America.'

Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should be the 51st US state and even mocked former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the 'Governor of Canada'.

When asked about Trump suggesting that automakers could be helped and whether tariff relief for automakers was part of his plan, Leavitt said she had nothing to read out but stressed that the US President is flexible when it comes to negotiations and talks and, ultimately, his goal in his fair trade deals.

Leavitt stated, 'As for autos and auto parts, I don't have anything to read out for you there but I think the point the president was making is flexibility and he has flexibility when it comes to negotiations and talks but ultimately his goal in his fair trade deals that he is pursuing with many countries around the world is to put the American worker first and we had automakers and auto workers here at the White House on Liberation Day who believe in this president and his negotiating ability to put them first and to bring those jobs back to the United States of America and the president's been very clear about that in his conversations with the automakers as well.'

On Monday, Trump said that he was 'looking' into potential part-specific tariff exemptions for carmakers and stressed that it is important to be 'flexible' amid the current trade negotiations, Fox News reported. Trump's statement indicated potential relief for auto manufacturers after the administration moved to exempt electronic devices--such as smartphones, iPhones, and laptops--from the US President's reciprocal tariffs.

Speaking to reporters during a meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele on Monday, Trump said, 'I'm looking at something to help some of the car companies, where they are switching to parts that were made in Canada, Mexico and other places.' He said, 'They're going to make them here, but they need a little bit of time -- so I'm talking about things like that.'

Fox News reported that he also reiterated his earlier remarks about the need to be flexible during the ongoing tariff negotiations with various nations.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, 'Look, I'm a very flexible person. I don't change my mind, but I'm flexible, and you have to be. You just can't have a wall, and you'll only -- sometimes you have to go around it, under it or above it.' He said, 'There will be maybe things coming... I don't want to hurt anybody, but the end result is we're going to get to the position of greatness for our country.'

On April 9, Trump announced an immediate increase in tariffs on China to 125 per cent. The move by the US President came following a retaliatory move by China, which increased its tariff on US goods from 34 per cent to 84 per cent starting April 10.

In a simultaneous move, Trump announced that for 75 countries which have called Representatives of the United States for trade talks, he has authorised a 90-day 'pause' and a substantially lower reciprocal tariff. (ANI)