Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico in the event that they didn’t stop what he called the flow of medicine and migrants across US borders.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Florida on Friday to dine with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club after Trump threatened to impose drastic tariffs on Canadian products.
Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico in the event that they didn’t stop what he called the flow of medicine and migrants across the border. He announced the imposition of a 25% tax on all products entry into the USA from Canada and Mexico as one among his first executive orders.
Although Trump did call Trudeau once “weak” and “dishonest” during his first term, relations between the 2 countries were among the many closest on the earth. Trudeau is the primary Group of Seven leader to visit Trump because the November 4 election.
At the dinner, Trump and Trudeau were joined by Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for Commerce Secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to head the Department of the Interior, Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, and the wives of the three men, according to an individual familiar with the lunch plan who was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.
David McCormick, the just-elected U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, and his wife Dina Powell, a former deputy national security adviser under Trump, in addition to Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff, also attended the dinner, the person said. .
A smiling Trudeau declined to comment after returning to his West Palm Beach hotel late Friday evening.
Trudeau said earlier on Friday that he would resolve the tariff issue by talking to Trump. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday after speaking with Trump that she was sure tariff war with the United States will probably be averted.
“We will work together to address some of the concerns,” Trudeau told reporters on Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “But ultimately, it will be through the many really constructive conversations I will have with President Trump that we will continue to stay on the right track for the benefit of all Canadians.”
Trudeau said Trump was elected because he promised to lower grocery prices, but now he’s talking about adding 25% to the fee of every kind of produce, including Prince Edward Island potatoes.
“It is vital to understand that when Donald Trump makes statements like this, he plans to follow them. There’s little question about it,” Trudeau said.
“It is our responsibility to point out that not only would it hurt Canadians who work so well with the United States, but it would actually raise prices for American citizens as well and hurt American industry and business,” he added.
These tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact negotiated by Trump’s team during his first term. Trudeau noted that they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he called a “win-win situation for both countries.”
“We can work together like we did before,” Trudeau said.
Trump threatened tariffs on Monday, criticizing the influx of undocumented migrants regardless that the numbers on the Canadian border pale as compared to those on the southern border.
In October alone, U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests on the Mexican border and 23,721 arrests on the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024.
Trump also complained about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, although seizures on the Canadian border are sparse compared to the Mexican border. Last fiscal yr, U.S. customs agents seized 43 kilos of fentanyl on the Canadian border, compared with 21,100 kilos on the Mexican border.
Canadian officials say it’s unfair to lump Canada in with Mexico, but they are saying they’re willing to make latest investments in border security.
Trudeau called Trump after he posted on social media in regards to the border.
When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their very own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of recent responsibilities in 2018 v. United States in response to latest taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Canada is here exploring the opportunity of retaliation tariffs on some U.S. products if Trump follows through on his threat to impose drastic tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official told The Associated Press this week.
A government official said Canada is preparing for each eventuality and has begun considering what products to impose tariffs on in retaliation. The official stressed that no decision had been made. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Canada is the most important export destination for 36 US states. Every day, nearly $3.6 billion ($2.7 billion) value of Canadian goods and services cross the border.
About 60% of U.S. oil imports come from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports come from Canada.
Canada can also be the most important foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the United States and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon desires and invests in for national security.
Canada is one of the vital trade-dependent countries on the earth, with 77% of Canadian exports going to the US
“Canada has reason to be concerned because Trump is impulsive, often influenced by the last thing he sees on Fox News,” said Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus on the University of Toronto. “He can use this based on what he thinks will sound and look good to the public, not what is happening or will happen.”
