Will Canada survive Trump? Trudeau made the trek to Mar-a-Lago

When Donald Trump suggested Canada and Mexico would be slapped with a 25% tariff on all goods they shipped to the United States in a November 25th Truth Social post, he immediately turned the politics of North America upside down. 

The President-Elect wrote that the tariffs would take effect on his first day in office via an Executive Order and would remain in place against both countries until cross-border drug and illegal immigration problems were solved. 

While Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum choise a confrontational approach to combat Trump’s proposed tariffs, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signaled that he was willing to work with Trump on his border concerns. 

On November 29th, Trudeau traveled down to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and met with the President-Elect to discuss his border worries. According to both leaders, their impromptu meeting went well based on their social media feeds. 

“Thanks for dinner last night, President Trump,” Trudeau wrote on X alongside a picture of the two leaders at Mar-a-Lago. “I look forward to the work we can do together, again.” Trump was equally as magnanimous on Truth Social.

Photo Credit: X @JustinTrudeau

The President-Elect wrote that he and Trudeau had a “very productive meeting” and that many things were discussed, including several problems that will require both nations to work together in order to find a solution to them. 

Trump said he and Trudeau discussed the fentanyl crisis in the United States, as well as illegal immigration and fair trade deals that would not “jeopardize” U.S. workers. He also wrote that they talked about America’s massive trade deficit with Canada. 

“I made it very clear that the United States will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic, caused mainly by the Drug Cartels, and Fentanyl pouring in from China,” Trump explained. 

“Too much death and hardship! Prime Minister Trudeau has made a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation of U.S. Families,” Trump added, noting that he also discussed energy and the Arctic issues with Trudeau. 

Trump’s summary of his discussion with Trudeau was more than what Trudeau’s team revealed in a post-meeting statement. Few details were given beyond the fact that the two leaders discussed several topics that required bilateral cooperation. 

However, there have been some reports that the meeting between Trump and Trudeau went well. The Associated Press reported that Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman said: “I don’t think it could have been better, to be frank.”

Hillman revealed that Trudeau made the case that there was no comparison between the Canadian and Mexican border. “The message that our border is so vastly different from the Mexican border was really understood,” Hillman said. 

Hillman said much of the meeting revolved around border concerns and confirmed that questions about Canada’s trade deficit were raised and added that the talks only could have gone better if Trump’s tariffs were no longer a possibility. 

ABC News reported that Trudeau warned Trump that if he followed through on his plan to impose tariffs on Canada, then Americans would also suffer according to Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

"The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs,” LeBlanc said in Parliament according to ABC News. 

“We also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well," LeBlanc added. However, Trudeau left Florida with no assurances from Trump that he wouldn't impose his proposed tariffs. 

It still remains unclear if the incoming Trump administration will move forward with the President-Elect’s proposed tariffs on Canada. What we do know is that Canadian and American officials will have a lot of negotiations ahead to avoid the possibility. 

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