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.
Tuesday’s Truth social post is President Trump’s latest attack on Trudeau.
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.
A few days after the meeting, President Trump posted an AI-generated image on social media. he is standing next to the canadian flag It overlooks a mountain range and is accompanied by the caption, “Oh, Canada!”
Meanwhile, President Trump doubled down on his tariff threat in his first post-election interview, 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.”
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 it has not yet outlined details.
How is Ottawa responding to President Trump’s ‘governor’ comment?
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland is leading Canada’s revived Commission on Canada-U.S. Relations.
Asked Tuesday about President Trump’s comments and whether he was taking Canada seriously, Freeland said Canada is a “great country.”
“I would say Canada is the greatest country in the world. I’m very clear about that. We’re all clear about that,” Freeland said.
Asked directly if he thought Trump was “running roughshod over the federal government,” Freeland said he would encourage “anyone who has a question for the president-elect to put it to him.”
Speaking to reporters outside a Liberal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, several ministers described Trump’s comments as a “joke.”
Immigration Minister Mark Miller said, “It’s like we’re living in an episode of South Park,” and then added, “I don’t necessarily think we should be considering Truth Social for public policy.” added.
Defense Minister Bill Blair was quick to respond, saying, “I don’t take offense to jokes.”
Meanwhile, Health Minister Mark Holland said Canada needs a “mature” response.
“You have to try not to react to every word just because you don’t know the context,” Holland said.
Will Canada retaliate?
Before Prime Minister Trudeau said Monday that Canada would “respond to unreasonable tariffs,” other federal officials said they were preparing retaliation.
“We are certainly prepared to take retaliatory action,” Hillman told CTV News last week. “I hope I don’t have to go there.”
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.
13% of Canadians think Canada should become the 51st province, according to new poll
According to a new poll by leger13% of Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state of the United States, while 82% are opposed.
The poll also revealed that support among men was high at 19%, while support among women was only 7%.
Breaking down the party breakdown, 21% of Conservative supporters agreed with this idea, followed by 10% of the Liberal Party and 6% of the NDP. The People’s Party of Canada had the highest approval rating of any federal party, at 25%.
With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyke
