Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reportedly said to have a meeting with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening, after the former president's recent threats to impose high tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China.
Trudeau had flown to Florida and dine with the incoming president, reported The Associated Press. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was also set to have joined Trudeau on the Florida trip. The Prime Minister's Office has chosen not to comment on the trip.
Meanwhile, CNN reporter Alayna Treene also shared on the social platform X that Trump and Trudeau were having dinner together at Trump's Florida resort on Friday evening.
NEWS: Trump is having dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tonight at Mar-a-Lago, a source familiar with the meeting tells me
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) November 29, 2024
The dinner comes just days after Trump promised massive hikes (25%) in tariffs on goods coming from Mexico & Canada
The meeting comes in the wake of Trump's warning that he will impose sweeping 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada unless both countries take action to stop what he claims is the ongoing flow of drugs and illegal immigrants into the United States. Trump's threats have sparked concern as he demands stricter measures to address these issues before considering lifting the tariff threat.
Trudeau, earlier, told a news conference on Friday that Trump's tariff threats should be taken seriously.
"Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he intends to follow through on them. There's no doubt about that," he told reporters.
"Our duty is to emphasize that by taking such actions, he wouldn't just be hurting Canadians who collaborate closely with the United States. He would also be driving up prices for American citizens and damaging American industries and businesses."
Trudeau had a phone conversation with Trump on Monday evening after the president-elect issued his tariff threat. On Tuesday morning, the prime minister described the call as "good."
"We obviously discussed the strong and effective connections that flow between our two countries, and we also talked about some of the challenges we can address together," Trudeau told reporters.
The prime minister has highlighted the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiations as a sign that he believes he can collaborate with Trump on trade and avert a potential trade war.
The USMCA, which came into effect in 2020 after being signed by Trump, was designed to facilitate largely duty-free trade between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. However, Trump's tariff threats could jeopardize the future of this deal.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that Mexico would retaliate with its own tariffs if talks between the U.S. and Mexico break down.
Following a call with Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Trump stated that the Mexican leader "agreed to stop migration through Mexico."
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that the U.S. imported approximately $435 billion worth of Canadian goods between January and September of this year.
