Canada’s Trudeau says he had an ‘excellent conversation’ with Trump in Florida after tariffs threat
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from Canada.
Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States.
After the leaders’ hastily arranged dinner Friday night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation” and said in a post later Saturday on X, accompanied by a photo of the two men seated a table and smiling, that he looked forward to “the work we can do together, again.”
Trump said earlier on social media that they discussed “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.” He cited fentanyl and the “Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration” and fair trade deals “that do not jeopardize American Workers.”
President-elect Donald Trump vowed to enact hefty new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration and drugs.
Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families from fentanyl from China reaching the United States through its neighbors.
The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January.
U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone. At the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024, the agency made 23,721 arrests.
Cars, apparel, electronics and more could see prices go up if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to impose sweeping new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China.
Trudeau called Trump after the Republican’s social media posts about the tariffs on Monday and they agreed to meet, according to an official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the private talks. The official said other countries were calling Canadian officials to hear how the meeting was arranged and to seek advice.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Trump on the telephone, said Thursday she was confident a tariff war with the United States would be averted.
At the dinner that was said to last three hours, Trump said he and Trudeau also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic. A second official cited defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast, pipelines and the Group of 7 meeting in Canada next year as other issues that arose.
Trudeau’s office said in a statement that the leaders “shared a productive wide-ranging discussion” centering on “collaboration and strengthening our relationship,” adding, “As Canada’s closest friend and ally, the United States is our key partner, and we are committed to working together in the interests of Canadians and Americans.”
Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G-7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election.
“Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
Trudeau had said Friday before flying to Florida that Trump got elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries, but now he’s talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products.
“It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out,” Trudeau said before departing for Florida.
“Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added.
Few countries would be more affected than Mexico by Trump’s threats to enact sweeping tariffs on imports. They could lead to more poverty, migration, some economists say.
The threatened tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries.
When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $2.7 billion worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85% of U.S. electricity imports.
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of its exports go to the U.S.
Associated Press writer Gillies reported from Toronto and Hussein from West Palm Beach, Fla.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
