Canada’s Trudeau says he had an ‘excellent conversation’ with Trump in Florida after tariffs threat

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday helium had an “excellent conversation” with Donald Trump astatine his Mar-a-Lago nine aft the president-elect’s menace to enforce important tariffs connected 2 of America’s starring commercialized partners raised alarms successful Ottawa and Mexico City.

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It was unclear, arsenic Trudeau headed backmost to Canada from Florida, whether the speech had alleviated Trump’s concerns.

A idiosyncratic acquainted with the details of the leaders’ hastily arranged gathering Friday nighttime said it was a “positive wide-ranging meal that lasted 3 hours.” The official, who was not authorized to sermon the substance publically and spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity, said topics included trade, borderline security, fentanyl, defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast and pipelines, arsenic good arsenic the the Group of Seven gathering successful Canada adjacent year.

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The Republican president-elect has threatened to enforce tariffs connected products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t halt what helium called the travel of drugs and migrants crossed their borders. He said helium would enforce a 25% taxation connected each products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico arsenic 1 of his archetypal enforcement orders erstwhile helium takes bureau successful January.

As helium was leaving his West Palm Beach hotel, Trudeau stopped concisely to reply a reporter’s question astir the meal meeting, saying it was “an fantabulous conversation.” Trump’s modulation squad did not respond to questions astir what the leaders had discussed.

Trump, during his archetypal word arsenic president, erstwhile called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the premier curate who was the archetypal G7 person to sojourn Trump since the Nov. 5 election.

“Tariffs are a important contented for Canada and a bold determination was successful order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a hazard worthy taking,” Daniel Beland, a governmental subject prof astatine McGill University successful Montreal.

Among those astatine the meal were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s prime for commerce secretary; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, successful enactment to pb the Interior Department; and Mike Waltz, Trump’s prime to beryllium his nationalist information adviser. Accompanying Trudeau were Canada’s nationalist information minister, Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities see borderline security, and Katie Telford, Trudeau’s main of staff.

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Trudeau had said earlier Friday that helium would resoluteness the tariffs contented by talking to Trump. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said a time earlier aft speaking with Trump that she is assured a tariff warfare with the United States volition beryllium averted.

Trudeau said Trump got elected due to the fact that helium promised to bring down the outgo of groceries but present he’s talking astir adding 25% to the outgo of each kinds of products including potatoes from Prince Edward Island successful Atlantic Canada.

“It is important to recognize that Donald Trump, erstwhile helium makes statements similar that, helium plans connected carrying them out. There’s nary question astir it,” Trudeau said earlier his leaving for Florida.

“Our work is to constituent retired that helium would not conscionable beryllium harming Canadians, who enactment truthful good with the United States, but helium would really beryllium raising prices for Americans citizens arsenic good and hurting American manufacture and business,” helium added.

To Nelson Wiseman, prof emeritus astatine the University of Toronto, Trump “doesn’t request convincing that caller tariffs connected Canadian products would not beryllium successful U.S. interests. He knows that, but cannot accidental it due to the fact that it would detract from what helium has said publicly. His extremity is to task the representation that helium gets enactment erstwhile helium talks.”

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Those tariffs could fundamentally stroke up the North American commercialized pact that Trump’s squad negotiated during his archetypal term. Trudeau noted they were capable to successfully renegotiate the deal, which helium calls a “win win” for some countries.

Trump made the tariff menace Monday portion citing an influx of migrants entering the state illegally, adjacent though the numbers astatine the Canadian borderline airy successful examination to those astatine the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump besides spoke astir fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, adjacent though seizures from the Canadian borderline are fewer successful examination to the Mexican border.

Canadian officials accidental lumping Canada successful with Mexico is unfair but accidental they are acceptable to marque caller investments successful borderline security.

When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his archetypal word successful office, different countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of caller duties successful 2018 against the U.S. successful a effect to caller taxes connected Canadian alloy and aluminum.

Canada is the apical export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 cardinal Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worthy of goods and services transverse the borderline each day.

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Gillies reported from Toronto.

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