President-elect Donald Trump called his meeting with Justin Trudeau productive and said the prime minister was committed to working with the United States to finish the drug crisis amid the specter of tough tariffs.
“We discussed many important issues that will require cooperation from both countries to address, such as the fentanyl and drug crises that have claimed so many lives through illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not put American workers at risk, and massive trade. “The U.S. has a deficit with Canada,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social Saturday.
Trudeau flew to Florida on Friday evening to attend a dinner at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump's transition team relies.
The face-to-face meeting got here at the tip of a difficult week through which Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico unless the 2 countries stop illegal border crossings and stop illegal drugs from entering the country United States.
Trudeau thanked Trump for the dinner in a social media post on Saturday.
“I look forward to the work we can do together again,” Trudeau said within the post, which included an image of the 2 leaders sitting at a table and smiling together.
Trump said he and Trudeau discussed the drug crisis and that the president-elect “made it very clear that the United States will no longer stand idly by while our citizens fall victim” to the drug epidemic, which he blames on cartels and fentanyl from China .
“Prime Minister Trudeau is committed to working with us to end this terrible devastation to U.S. families,” Trump wrote.
Trump's post did in a roundabout way mention the tariffs, and it’s unclear whether the prime minister's visit eased his concerns in regards to the border.
An announcement from the Prime Minister's Office said the leaders “held a productive, wide-ranging discussion” focused on cooperation and strengthening bilateral ties.
“As Canada’s closest friend and ally, the United States is our most important partner and we are committed to working together in the interests of Canadians and Americans,” the statement said.
Trudeau had a very difficult relationship with the Republican leader in the course of the first Trump administration. However, the prime minister was the primary G-7 leader to go to Trump for the reason that November 5 election.
Trudeau's invitation to Mar-a-Lago says so much in regards to the working relationship, a senior government source said.
Dinner took greater than three hours. Sources said Trudeau and Trump discussed trade, border security, Ukraine, NATO, icebreakers, the Middle East and next yr's Group of Seven meeting in Alberta. They also discussed energy projects, including the Keystone Pipeline, Line 5, the Trans Mountain Pipeline and other topics related to liquefied natural gas.
It was described as a friendly and welcoming dinner.
Trump's social media post in regards to the meeting with Trudeau seemed to be rather more cooperative in tone than his response to a phone call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum earlier this week, after which he declared a victory on tariffs.
Trump wrote on Wednesday that Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States, effectively “closing our southern border.”
The Mexican president said it had been an “excellent” conversation but replied that her country was already doing its part.
“We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders, but to build bridges between governments and peoples,” Sheinbaum said.
Trump's return to the White House has sparked concern amongst America's closest neighbors. He has long used the specter of import tariffs to pressure other countries to comply along with his wishes, saying last summer: “The prettiest word in the dictionary is 'tariff'.”
The Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement is up for review in 2026 and experts suspect this week's tariff announcement is a negotiating tactic.
Canadian prime ministers have called on Trudeau to be more proactive in coping with the brand new Trump administration. More than 77% of Canada's exports go to the United States and provincial leaders said Trump's tariffs could be devastating.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was glad Trudeau met Trump to learn more in regards to the president-elect's concerns. But Ottawa must present the premier with a plan to make the border safer to avoid “catastrophic tariffs,” Ford said in an announcement on social media.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she believes Trump and Trudeau had a constructive conversation. On her national radio show Saturday, Smith said it was notable that the conversation was in regards to the energy sector.
Canada is the most important source of U.S. energy imports, and in 2023 just about all of Canada's crude oil exports went to the neighboring country.
Alberta's premier said it's critical to indicate how Canada's energy aligns with America's national and international interests.
“Our strategy is this: Let's talk to Americans about the things we know they need and use that as leverage to make sure we don't put tariffs on all goods,” Smith said.
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