Canada's Trudeau jets to Florida for Trump meeting after tariff threat
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly meeting with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago Friday evening, in the wake of the former president's recent threats to impose steep tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China.
CNN reporter Alayna Treene posted on the social platform X that Trump and Trudeau were having dinner together at Trump's Florida resort Friday evening. The Associated Press reported that Trudeau had flown to Florida and planned to dine with the incoming president.
Trump on Monday threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico and even higher tariffs on China.
Trump has touted tariffs for years as his preferred way to boost U.S. manufacturing and push other countries toward more favorable trade terms. He said the most recent threats are aimed at forcing both Mexico and Canada to crack down on the flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc joined Trudeau on the Florida trip, the AP reported.
Trump's threats have drawn scrutiny and warnings of retaliatory tariffs from both Mexico and Canada.
Trudeau earlier on Friday said he would make sure Canada stayed on the "right track" through discussion with Trump.
“We’re going to work together to meet some of the concerns,” Trudeau told reporters in Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada, according to the AP. “But ultimately it is through lots of real constructive conversations with President Trump that I am going to have, that will keep us moving forward on the right track for all Canadians.”
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc earlier this week responded to Trump's threat with a statement pointing out U.S. reliance on Canada for crude oil and noted that Canada imports “more goods from the U.S. than China, Japan, France and the U.K. combined.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that her country will respond with its own tariffs if dialogue between the U.S. and Mexico fails.
After a call with Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Trump said the Mexican leader “agreed to stop Migration through Mexico.”
Sheinbaum told reporters on Thursday that she did not specifically discuss tariffs in the phone call with Trump, the BBC reported. She said she reassured him that a migrant caravan he expressed concern about would not reach the U.S. border, but added "it has never been our plan to close the border with the US."