Trudeau to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after speaking against tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with President-elect Donald Trump Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, Canada’s CBC Information reported. The assembly comes within the wake of Trump’s risk to impose tariffs on items coming from Canada. 

Trudeau will dine with Trump at Mar-a-largo Friday evening, in keeping with senior sources who spoke to CBC Information on situation they not be named because of the sensitivity of the journey. The sources mentioned the assembly was pushed for by Canadian officers, the Canadian broadcaster mentioned.

Trudeau’s aircraft landed at Palm Seaside Worldwide Airport at about 5:30 p.m. native time. 

Additionally becoming a member of Trump and Trudeau at dinner could be Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choose to steer the Inside Division, Mike Waltz, Trump’s option to be his nationwide safety adviser, and the three males’s wives, an individual aware of the dinner plans who was not approved to talk publicly and did so on situation of anonymity instructed the Related Press.

Additionally attending the dinner, the particular person instructed the AP, had been Republican Senator-elect David McCormick of Pennsylvania, and his spouse Dina Powell, a former deputy nationwide safety adviser below Trump, in addition to Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of workers.   

The assembly comes after Trudeau earlier Friday cautioned that if Trump follows by way of on this risk to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian merchandise, he could be elevating costs for Individuals and hurting American companies.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on merchandise from Canada and Mexico if the international locations don’t cease what he referred to as the movement of medicine and migrants throughout southern and northern borders. He mentioned he would impose a 25% tax on all merchandise getting into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one among his first government orders.

“You will need to perceive that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no query about it,” Trudeau mentioned to reporters in Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada earlier Friday.

“Our accountability is to level out that he wouldn’t simply be harming Canadians, who work so properly with america, however he would really be elevating costs for Americans as properly and hurting American trade and enterprise,” he added.

Trudeau mentioned Trump bought elected as a result of he promised to carry down the price of groceries, however now he’s speaking about including 25% to the price of all types of merchandise, together with potatoes from Prince Edward Island.

These tariffs might primarily blow up the North American commerce pact that Trump’s staff negotiated throughout his first time period. Trudeau famous they had been capable of efficiently re-negotiate the deal, which he calls a “win-win” for each international locations.

“We will work collectively as we did beforehand,” Trudeau mentioned.

Though Trump as soon as referred to as Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” throughout his first time period, ties between the 2 international locations have remained among the many closest on the earth. Trudeau is the primary chief from the Group of Seven international locations to go to Trump because the Nov. 4 election.  

Trump aide Corey Lewandowski, talking on Fox Information Friday evening, mentioned that he was “sure” that Trudeau “goes to come back down and have a dialog with the president and say, ‘Sir, what can we do to maintain this border open, what can we do to maintain items flowing? We all know we now have issues we’re right here to repair it.’”  

Trump made the tariff risk Monday whereas railing in opposition to an inflow of unlawful migrants, though the numbers on the Canadian border pale compared to the southern border.

The U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests on the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests on the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024.

Trump additionally railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, though seizures from the Canadian border are few compared to the Mexican border. U.S. customs brokers seized 43 kilos of fentanyl on the Canadian border final fiscal 12 months, in contrast with 21,100 kilos on the Mexican border.

Canadian officers say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair however they’re able to make new investments in border safety.

“We’re going to work collectively to satisfy a few of the considerations,” Trudeau mentioned. “However in the end it’s by way of numerous actual constructive conversations with President Trump that I’m going to have, that can hold us transferring ahead heading in the right direction for all Canadians.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned Thursday she is assured that a tariff warfare with america shall be averted. Trump posted on social media that he had spoken together with her and he or she had agreed to cease unauthorized migration throughout the border into america.

When Trump imposed greater tariffs throughout his first time period in workplace, different international locations responded with retaliatory tariffs of their very own. Canada, as an illustration, introduced billions of recent duties in 2018 in opposition to the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian metal and aluminum.

Canada is the highest export vacation spot for 36 U.S. states. Practically $2.7 billion value of products and companies cross the border every day.

Canada can also be the biggest overseas provider of metal, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 crucial minerals and metals that the Pentagon is keen for and investing in for nationwide safety.