President-elect Donald Trump attacked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday by calling him a “governor” and calling Canada a “great province,” despite the president-elect’s new insistence that the country should be part of the United States. There were also suggestions. .
President Trump apparently joked about Canada becoming the 51st state during dinner with Prime Minister Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago last month. President Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday that if the United States is going to increase its lopsided trade deficit with Canada, it might be better off becoming a nation.
“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!” ” President Trump said in a social media post.
It’s unclear why President Trump would publicly mock this annexation, but it’s likely because Prime Minister Trudeau said Monday that if President Trump imposed a punitive 25% tariff on all Canadian imports, Canada would This may be because he indicated that he was prepared to take some action against him.
Referring to Canada’s response to President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, Prime Minister Trudeau said, “Of course, as we did eight years ago, we will respond to unjust tariffs in a variety of ways, but we need to figure out the appropriate response.” We’re still figuring it out,” he said. in his first term.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was part of a small Canadian contingent who dined with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago last week, told reporters about Trump’s comment that Canada could become a 51st state. answered the question. LeBlanc said it was never a serious comment.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, asked about President Trump’s comments about annexation and whether they suggested he doesn’t take Canada seriously, said Canada is a great country. said.
“I have a clear understanding of Canada. I know how lucky I am to be Canadian. I know that it is a great country that we live in. And I know that, appropriately enough, Canada I want to say that Canada is the greatest country in the world, even if we’re not people or kind to other countries. The world — I’m very clear about that, and we’re all very clear about that. ,” she said.
Asked whether Canada should take President Trump seriously if he suggested it might become part of the United States, Freeland said reporters should ask the president-elect how seriously he would think about the proposal. He said he should ask if there were any.
“I want to say to Canadians: Our government is absolutely determined to protect our national interests, and we will do that,” she said.
On Sunday, following Trump’s previous provocations against Canada and the United States, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre said the president-elect made these comments because he felt Trudeau was “weak” and that Trump could take advantage of him. He said this is because there are
“The bottom line is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a weak leader and is not respected by countries around the world,” Poilievre said.
“We will be negotiating with our American friends as the strong, not the weak. Canada will be independent, strong and proud.”
