Trump mocks Trudeau in meeting on tariffs

PALM BEACH: Nervous laughter echoed off the walls of the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago mansion last Friday according to Fox News, after Donald Trump and his team poked fun at Canada and its prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau visited Trump in Florida, seemingly in an effort to dissuade the former and next president of the United States from levying a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports. Illegal border crossings and drugs were the key issues which led Trump to announcing his tariff plan in November, as he blamed Mexico and Canada for what he dubbed a “migrant invasion.”

Seventy different countries was the figure that Trump reportedly presented Trudeau with, claiming that Canada had allowed illegal immigrants from at least that many. Trudeau apprised Trump of the deadly impact tariffs would have on the Canadian economy, to which Trump criticized and questioned Canada for not being able to survive “unless its ripping off the US to the tune of $100 billion?” In 2023, the US trade deficit with Canada was $67.9 billion.

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The nervous laughter came soon after, as Trump suggested that Trudeau could become the governor of the US’s 51st state if the tariffs would be as devastating as the Canadian Prime Minister suggested. Another dinner attendee jumped in stating Canada would be a very liberal state, which gave Trump the inspiration to build on the comedic foundation be laid, adding that Canada could be come two states, a liberal and a conservative one. Sources cited by Fox News claimed that Trudeau continued to respond to the light-hearted needling with laughter.

Trump has claimed that the meeting was “very productive”.

Earlier in November, the president-elect had a phone call with Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, following which, he was even more enthusiastic. The future US president claimed that Mexico had agreed to “stop people from going to [the US] Southern Border,” leading to a clarification by Sheinbaum that no such policy change was proposed or would be enacted. She simply informed Trump of Mexico’s efforts in stopping caravans from arriving at the northern border by providing aid to migrants.

It seems as if the two conversations the US president-elect has had with Mexico’s and Canada’s respective heads of state regarding the proposed tariffs have been fraught with misunderstanding and misplaced levity.  

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