WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday gave assurances after a meeting with President Donald Trump that the next president would reverse threatened tariffs on all products from major U.S. trading partners. I returned home without it. President Trump called the meeting “productive” but signaled he would not back down from his pledges that he says Canada is unfairly lumped in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and immigrants into the United States.
After a hastily arranged dinner for the two leaders at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Friday night, Trudeau spoke of a “great conversation” and spoke with the two men at the table and Trump. He said this in a post X days later with a photo of the president. He smiled and said he was looking forward to “working together again.” President Trump previously said at Truth Social that they discussed “many important topics that our two countries need to address together.”
Issues that require such cooperation include fentanyl and the “drug crisis that has taken so many lives as a result of illegal immigration,” fair trade agreements that “do not put American workers at risk,” and U.S. cooperation with allies. trade deficit. North.
President Trump claimed the prime minister had made a “commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families affected by fentanyl that reached the United States from China through neighboring countries. “The United States can no longer stand by and watch its people fall victim to the scourge of this drug epidemic,” he said.
The Republican president-elect is threatening to impose a 25% tax on all products imported into the United States from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January.
U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last year, compared to 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. When it comes to immigration, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 56,530 people at the Mexican border in October alone, and 23,721 people at the Canadian border from October 2023 to September 2024. Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump and agreed to meet after the Republican’s social media post last Monday, according to a person not authorized to discuss details of the private meeting publicly. The official said other countries have also called Canadian officials to ask about how to hold the talks and seek advice.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday after a phone call with President Trump that she was confident a tariff war with the United States would be avoided.
During the dinner, which reportedly lasted three hours, Trump also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic with Trudeau. Another official cited defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Middle East, pipelines and the G7 meeting in Canada next year as other issues that have arisen.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s office said in a statement that the two leaders “shared a wide range of productive discussions” focused on “cooperation and strengthening our relationship,” adding that “the United States, Canada’s closest friend and ally, is committed to our They are an important partner and we are fully committed to them.” It’s about working together for the benefit of Canadians and Americans. ”
Although Trump once called Trudeau “weak” and “disloyal” during his first term as president, Trudeau became the first G7 leader to visit him after the Nov. 5 election. Ta.
“Tariffs were an important issue for Canada and required bold action. It was probably a risk, but it was worth the risk,” says Daniel Behrand, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
Before his departure on Friday, Prime Minister Trudeau said he won because Trump promised to lower the cost of groceries, but now he will cut the cost of all kinds of products, including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. We’re talking about adding 25%.
“It’s important to understand that when Donald Trump says things like that, he means to follow through. There’s no question about that,” Trudeau said.
“Our responsibility is that he will not only harm Canadians who are very cooperative with the United States, but he will actually raise prices for the American people and harm American industry and business. “It’s a matter of pointing out that there is a problem,” he added.
The tariff threat could essentially destroy the North American trade deal that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Prime Minister Trudeau noted that both countries were able to successfully renegotiate the agreement, calling it a “win-win” for both countries.
When President Trump imposed high tariffs as president, other countries responded with their own retaliatory tariffs. For example, Canada announced in 2018 that it would impose billions of dollars in new tariffs on the United States in response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Approximately C$3.6 billion (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross borders every day.
Approximately 60% of US crude oil imports come from Canada, and 85% of US electricity imports come from Canada.
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum, and uranium to the United States, and possesses 34 critical minerals and metals that the Department of Defense invests diligently in the interests of national security.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, with 77% of Canadian exports going to the United States.
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