Trudeau meets Trump: Fostering trade and tackling border tensions
The head of the Canadian government, Justin Trudeau, met with American President-elect Donald Trump. The meeting took place on Friday evening at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, USA.
30 November 2024 19:08
Justin Trudeau was the first leader from a G7 country to meet Trump directly after the US elections. The newspaper "Globe and Mail" reported on Saturday that Trudeau discussed, among other things, trade between the two countries and border issues with Trump.
The visit began on Friday evening. According to the Canadian Press agency, on the Canadian side, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister's Office Katie Telford participated in the dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
Trudeau met with Trump to discuss the economy, the border, and fentanyl
Trump was accompanied by Canadian Premier with Trump. Formal dinner and discussions about everything. Present also was Mike Waltz, the future national security advisor, along with his wife.
American television ABC reported that Trudeau told journalists waiting for him outside the hotel on Saturday that his conversation with Trump was "excellent". However, he did not answer any additional questions.
The Associated Press conveyed that - according to the information it obtained - it was "the dinner that was said to last three hours," covering a wide range of topics. The conversation covered trade, border security, fentanyl issues, defence, Ukraine, NATO, China, pipelines, and the G7 meeting to be held next year in Canada.
At the start of the week, Trump announced that his first economic decisions following the January inauguration would include raising tariffs on products from China. He also promised a 25% increase in tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, justified by crises related to opioids and immigration.
Trudeau reacted to these statements on Monday. He described his conversation with Trump as "excellent." Media reported that Trudeau told Trump about the problems Americans would face after imposing tariffs on Canadian goods.
The media quoted Trudeau’s statement from Friday, before the meeting with Trump, that the threats from the American president-elect must be taken seriously. He added that Canada plans to proceed through the next four years, adopting the same approach as during Trump's first term in the White House.
In January, Trudeau appointed a special team to prepare for a possible Trump victory. The Prime Minister's schedule, available on the website, does not mention the flight and meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.