Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Florida to satisfy with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago property, Canada’s CBC Information reported. The assembly comes within the wake of Trump’s menace to impose tariffs on items coming from Canada.
Trudeau was anticipated to dine with Trump at Mar-a-largo Friday night time, based on senior sources who spoke to CBC Information on situation they not be named as a result of sensitivity of the journey. The sources mentioned the assembly was pushed for by Canadian officers, the Canadian broadcaster mentioned.
Trudeau’s aircraft landed at Palm Seashore Worldwide Airport at about 5:30 p.m. native time. A smiling Trudeau declined remark upon returning to his West Palm Seashore resort late Friday from Mar-a-Lago. The Trump transition workforce didn’t touch upon the assembly when reached by CBS Information.
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Becoming a member of Trump and Trudeau at dinner had been Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choose to guide the Inside Division, Mike Waltz, Trump’s option to be his nationwide safety adviser, and the three males’s wives, an individual acquainted with the dinner plans who was not approved to talk publicly and did so on situation of anonymity instructed the Related Press.
Additionally attending the dinner, the particular person instructed the AP, had been Republican Senator-elect David McCormick of Pennsylvania, and his spouse Dina Powell, a former deputy nationwide safety adviser underneath Trump, in addition to Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of employees.
The assembly comes after Trudeau earlier Friday cautioned that if Trump follows by way of on this menace to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian merchandise, he can be elevating costs for People and hurting American companies.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on merchandise from Canada and Mexico if the international locations do not cease what he referred to as the circulation of medication and migrants throughout southern and northern borders. He mentioned he would impose a 25% tax on all merchandise coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one in every of his first government orders.
“It is very important perceive that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There is not any query about it,” Trudeau mentioned to reporters in Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada earlier Friday.
“Our accountability is to level out that he wouldn’t simply be harming Canadians, who work so properly with america, however he would really be elevating costs for Americans as properly and hurting American business and enterprise,” he added.
Trudeau mentioned Trump obtained elected as a result of he promised to convey down the price of groceries, however now he is speaking about including 25% to the price of all types of merchandise, together with potatoes from Prince Edward Island.
These tariffs may primarily blow up the North American commerce pact that Trump’s workforce negotiated throughout his first time period. Trudeau famous they had been in a position to efficiently re-negotiate the deal, which he calls a “win-win” for each international locations.
“We are able to work collectively as we did beforehand,” Trudeau mentioned.
Though Trump as soon as referred to as Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” throughout his first time period, ties between the 2 international locations have remained among the many closest on this planet. Trudeau is the primary chief from the Group of Seven international locations to go to Trump for the reason that Nov. 4 election.
Trump aide Corey Lewandowski, talking on Fox Information Friday night time, mentioned that he was “sure” that Trudeau “goes to come back down and have a dialog with the president and say, ‘Sir, what can we do to maintain this border open, what can we do to maintain items flowing? We all know we now have issues we’re right here to repair it.'”
Trump made the tariff menace Monday whereas railing in opposition to an inflow of unlawful migrants, though the numbers on the Canadian border pale compared to the southern border.
The U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests on the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests on the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024.
Trump additionally railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, though seizures from the Canadian border are few compared to the Mexican border. U.S. customs brokers seized 43 kilos of fentanyl on the Canadian border final fiscal 12 months, in contrast with 21,100 kilos on the Mexican border.
Canadian officers say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair however they’re able to make new investments in border safety.
“We’ll work collectively to satisfy a number of the considerations,” Trudeau mentioned. “However in the end it’s by way of a lot of actual constructive conversations with President Trump that I’m going to have, that can maintain us shifting ahead heading in the right direction for all Canadians.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned Thursday she is assured that a tariff battle with america will likely be averted. Trump posted on social media that he had spoken together with her and she or he had agreed to cease unauthorized migration throughout the border into america.
When Trump imposed greater tariffs throughout his first time period in workplace, different international locations responded with retaliatory tariffs of their very own. Canada, as an illustration, introduced billions of latest duties in 2018 in opposition to the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian metal and aluminum.
Canada is the highest export vacation spot for 36 U.S. states. Practically $2.7 billion value of products and companies cross the border every day.
Canada can be the biggest overseas provider of metal, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 important minerals and metals that the Pentagon is keen for and investing in for nationwide safety.
