Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in West Palm Beach, Florida late on Friday for a dinner meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate, after Trump promised to put a 25% tariff on all products imported to the US from Canada and Mexico.
Donald Trump, the president-elect, Trudeau is the first of the leaders of the G7 group of industrial democracies to visit.
Standing near Trudeau and Donald Trump were several potential members of the next administration such as, the nominee for the Interior secretary North Dakota’s Governor Doug Burgum, the nominee for Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, the next national security advisor Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., Sen.-elect David McCormick, R-Penn., together with his wife Dina Powell, the former deputy national security advisor as reported in some
The meeting was called for after Trump said on his Truth Social application on Monday that he would sign an executive order on the first day of his second term on 20 January to impose large tariffs on the top U.S. trading partners which are essentially a tax or fee on all imported goods.
‘As everyone knows, thousands of people are coming through Mexico and Canada, Crime and Drugs at a scale that have never been witnessed,”
“This Tariff,” Trump continued, “will stay in place until the Drugs, notably Fentanyl, & all of the Illegal Aliens cease this invasion of our country!”
Because tariffs are levied on the imported goods and not on exporters, the extra costs usually are transferred to end users. That has led to concern, not only among American customers but also the officials in Mexico and Canada.
Trump also threatened to impone the tariff to China at 10%.
A phone conference is the first step, and then the emergency conference
Trudeau’s first contact with Trump was a phone call Monday night, after Trudeau pledged to slap tariffs on the US. The prime minister later said the call lasted for 10 minutes and it was a good call.
‘We, of course, discussed … about how direct and effective the relations between our two states are,’ Trudeau said to reporters. “Some of the issues that we discussed are issues that we can try to improve together,”
During that call, Justin Trudeau said that the number of illegals, who enter Canada to cross into the United States, was significantly smaller than the number of illegals crossing from Mexico, CBC cited.
Trudeau had a telephonic conference on Wednesday to deliberate on Trump’s promise with other Canadian stakeholders. He said on Friday that the threats from Trump to put tariffs on steel and aluminium should be taken seriously.
That is how Donald Trump works when he makes statements like that, he is out to execute them. Is there any doubt about that?” Trudeau asked, according to the CBC – a Canadian broadcasting corporation.
“Our duty is to highlight the fact that in this regard he would be actually inflicting more losses not only on Canadians who are so well aligned with the United States,” Trudeau said. ‘Actually, he would be increasing the price of gasoline for American citizens also, and dealing a blow to American industry and business.
Canada is the largest export market of the United States, exceeded 78% of export, $482 billion in total export in 2023 over the northern border by the Congressional Research Service.
Good and very productive call with the President of Mexico
On Wednesday, Trump spoke on the phone with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The two failed to talk about the intended tariff, Sheinbaum said on Thursday. She said: ‘It was a good conversation and we are going to keep having conversations,’
Trump said the conversation with Sheinbaum was great and he was very productive.
An unexpected visit of Trudeau to Palm Beach
Trudeau’s visit on Friday was not indicated on the public schedule of either leader. Officials from the Trump transition team did not respond to the requests by comment.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) said it confirmed on Friday that Trudeau was in Palm Beach to have a meeting and dinner with Trump, according to the senior government insiders. The Canadian public media outlet said Trudeau’s plane had arrived to Palm Beach International Airport on Friday evening and Public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc was also on board the flight.
Trudeau was seen coming out of a hotel in West Palm Beach before going to meet Trump. He was due to leave first thing in the morning, the CBC added.
”Not just harming Canadians,” Trudeau says of the proposed tariffs
Justin Trudeau said Trump’s tariff threats at a press conference earlier in the day are serious.
If, for instance, Donald Trump makes such a statement, he intends to follow through with it. On that, there was no arguing with him, he said to the press.
What we should and must do is to state that in this manner he would in fact be injuring not only Canadians who work so well conjointly with the United States. Mr. Reagan would actually end up increasing the prices for American citizens, and damage American industry and businesses.
Trump: Canada ‘to pay a very big price’
While making the announcement on Monday, Trump said both Mexico and Canada ‘have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long brewing issue’ regarding drugs and other unwanted people crossing into the United States. Or we demand that they use this power, and if they don’t, then it is high time they paid a very big price!
Trump also wrote in another Truth Social post that he also would impose an additional 10% tariff on the products originating in China on top of the current tariffs.
“I have spoken to China many times about the large amounts of drugs, especially Fentanyl, that are being smuggled into the United States – But they do not listen,” Trump tweeted. “They said that they would punish the culprits to death penalties which is the maximum penalty in China but, unfortunately, they did not do it.”
Trump said his proposed additional tariff on Chinese goods would stay on until the country stop allowing drug into the United States.
These threats have existed for decades threatening to deport migrants and suppress the drug industry.
During his campaign for president, Trump pledged that he would deport all those who entered the U.S. through the Mexican border and that he would ensure that no more drugs were brought into the country. He has further promised to unleash the army and says he will deport more immigrants in America than has ever been deported before, should he be elected president.
Trump said drugs and crime are at record levels, although in 2023 violent crime in America was down for the third year in a row including murder, rape and assault, the FBI reported in September.
