Amid the looming threat of tariffs, US President-elect Donald Trump appears to mock Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in one post, calling him “Governor Justin Trudeau.” society of truth Early Tuesday morning.
“I had the pleasure of having dinner with the Governor of Great Canada, Justin Trudeau, last night. I look forward to seeing him again soon so we can continue our in-depth discussions on tariffs and trade. “May it be truly wonderful for everyone!” ” Trump wrote.
Trump’s remarks come hours after Trudeau said Canada would comply if the U.S. moved forward with imposing a 25% tariff on Canadian imports unless Canada addressed Trump’s border issues. It came out later.
“Of course, as we did eight years ago, we intend to respond to unfair tariffs in a variety of ways, but we are currently evaluating the appropriate response,” Prime Minister Trudeau said at a meeting with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. said. on monday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged the threat is “much more difficult” and the economic impact of tariffs would be “devastating,” but he also urged calm and “not to panic.”
“Certainly knowing that[tariffs]will be absolutely devastating means we have to take them seriously, but it also means we have to be thoughtful and strategic and understand that our opponents “It’s an important and unified approach that means we have to calmly make our case, not throw around arguments,” Trudeau said.
President Trump’s Tariffs in 2018
In 2018, during his first term as US president, Trump sparked a nearly year-long trade war, imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian steel products and 10% tariffs on Canadian aluminum. In response, Canada announced countervailing duties of 25% on a long list of U.S. steel and aluminum products, as well as an additional 10% tax on U.S. miscellaneous goods including coffee, prepared foods, and maple syrup. did. These retaliatory tariffs were finally lifted in 2019 after Canada, the United States, and Mexico reached an agreement.
President Trump re-announced plans to impose a 10% tariff on Canadian aluminum in August 2020, but suspended the plan later that year as the presidential election loomed.
Less than two weeks later, Trudeau made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago with his chief of staff Katie Telford and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, had dinner with Trump and members of the incoming administration, and discussed tariffs. We talked about threats.
After the meeting, US network Fox News reported that President Trump said at a dinner in Florida that if tariffs weaken Canada’s economy as the prime minister has said, then perhaps Canada will become the 51st state in the United States. He joked that he should be.
Canadian politicians later downplayed the joke, with LeBlanc saying, “The president was making fun of us.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump pose for a photo during dinner at the Mar-a-Lago Resort on November 29, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s X account)
Meanwhile, in an interview with CTV News Channel’s Power Play last week, Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, called the comments “reassuring.”
“(Trump) made jokes, and other people at the table made jokes,” said Hillman, who was part of the Canadian delegation to Mar-a-Lago. However, she did not sit at the same table as Trump and Trudeau during the three-day meeting. -time dinner. “People were joking, but I have to say it’s actually reassuring to me that people are that comfortable with each other and teasing each other.”
But after the meeting, two senior government officials told CTV News that while tariffs are unavoidable in the near term, they told the Canadian delegation that long-term solutions are being considered, especially once border security is ensured. said.
In his first post-election interview, President Trump doubled down on his tariff threat, calling the measure “beautiful.”
“I’m a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think it’s beautiful. It makes us rich,” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press that aired Sunday. I guess so,” he said.
President Trump also mentioned that Canada would become a state in the United States.
“We subsidize Canada over $100 billion a year. We subsidize Mexico nearly $300 billion a year. We shouldn’t do that — why would we subsidize these countries? ” Trump said. “If we give them subsidies, let them become states.”
In that interview, the U.S. president-elect later reiterated his concerns about the border.
“We can’t open our borders, and I told the President of Mexico and Justin Trudeau that if that doesn’t stop, we’re going to put tariffs on your country of about 25%,” Trump said. ” he said.
In response to the tariff threat, the federal government has said it will add personnel and equipment resources to the border, but so far no specifics have been released.
With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyke
