Justin Trudeau Meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Canada's prime minister expressed his anticipation for engaging in "lots of great conversations" with the president-elect.
TroibNews 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an unannounced visit to Mar-a-Lago for dinner with Donald Trump following the president-elect's threat of imposing a substantial tariff on Canada, as revealed by two sources who requested anonymity to discuss the arrangements.
Trudeau is the first leader from the G7 to visit the resort since the recent U.S. election. He is joined by Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who oversees border security.
The prime minister traveled to Florida after attending a press conference in Prince Edward Island, where he highlighted his relationship with Trump. Trudeau expressed his anticipation for “lots of great conversations” with the president-elect.
“Ultimately, it is through lots of constructive, real conversations with President Trump that I’m going to have that will keep us moving forward on the right track for all Canadians,” he stated on Friday, although he did not specify that a meeting was promptly scheduled.
Dining at the table with Trudeau, Trump, and LeBlanc were several notable individuals: Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff; Sen.-elect Dave McCormick and his wife, former deputy national security adviser Dina Powell; Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s nominee for Interior secretary, and his wife; Howard Lutnick, nominated to be Commerce secretary, along with his wife; and incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz and his spouse, according to one of the sources.
The president-elect caught Canada’s attention on Monday by announcing via Truth Social that his Day 1 agenda included imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump stated that the tariffs would be contingent upon Canada securing its border with the U.S.
“When he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out,” Trudeau remarked on Friday morning.
“He would be actually not just harming Canadians who work so well with the United States,” the prime minister added. “He [would] actually be raising prices for American citizens as well, and hurting American industry and businesses.”
This sentiment has been a key message that Trudeau’s top ministers have communicated to their U.S. counterparts throughout the past year.
Trudeau's relationship with the president-elect is complex. While he and his team were able to successfully renegotiate NAFTA during Trump’s first term and maintain a working relationship with the White House, Trump has also referred to Trudeau as “two-faced” and a “far-left lunatic.”
In the wake of Trump's announcement on Truth Social, Trudeau quickly managed to contact the incoming president—a detail his ministers emphasized during the weeks of concern sparked by the tariff threat.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland reassured that the Liberals had the experience to handle Trump, referencing past interactions.
On Wednesday, she praised Trudeau’s track record: “He was an effective partner for Barack Obama. He was an effective partner for President Trump. He was an effective partner for President Biden, who is still president,” she stated. “I have every confidence that he will be absolutely effective in dealing with President-elect Trump.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
Trudeau is the first leader from the G7 to visit the resort since the recent U.S. election. He is joined by Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who oversees border security.
The prime minister traveled to Florida after attending a press conference in Prince Edward Island, where he highlighted his relationship with Trump. Trudeau expressed his anticipation for “lots of great conversations” with the president-elect.
“Ultimately, it is through lots of constructive, real conversations with President Trump that I’m going to have that will keep us moving forward on the right track for all Canadians,” he stated on Friday, although he did not specify that a meeting was promptly scheduled.
Dining at the table with Trudeau, Trump, and LeBlanc were several notable individuals: Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff; Sen.-elect Dave McCormick and his wife, former deputy national security adviser Dina Powell; Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s nominee for Interior secretary, and his wife; Howard Lutnick, nominated to be Commerce secretary, along with his wife; and incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz and his spouse, according to one of the sources.
The president-elect caught Canada’s attention on Monday by announcing via Truth Social that his Day 1 agenda included imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump stated that the tariffs would be contingent upon Canada securing its border with the U.S.
“When he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out,” Trudeau remarked on Friday morning.
“He would be actually not just harming Canadians who work so well with the United States,” the prime minister added. “He [would] actually be raising prices for American citizens as well, and hurting American industry and businesses.”
This sentiment has been a key message that Trudeau’s top ministers have communicated to their U.S. counterparts throughout the past year.
Trudeau's relationship with the president-elect is complex. While he and his team were able to successfully renegotiate NAFTA during Trump’s first term and maintain a working relationship with the White House, Trump has also referred to Trudeau as “two-faced” and a “far-left lunatic.”
In the wake of Trump's announcement on Truth Social, Trudeau quickly managed to contact the incoming president—a detail his ministers emphasized during the weeks of concern sparked by the tariff threat.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland reassured that the Liberals had the experience to handle Trump, referencing past interactions.
On Wednesday, she praised Trudeau’s track record: “He was an effective partner for Barack Obama. He was an effective partner for President Trump. He was an effective partner for President Biden, who is still president,” she stated. “I have every confidence that he will be absolutely effective in dealing with President-elect Trump.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
