U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Holds Productive Meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Discuss Border, Trade, and Energy
OTTAWA (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday evening for a “very productive” discussion on the border, trade, and energy.
The meeting comes amid fears of a potential trade war between the two countries, as Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports. Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has warned that such a move would have dire consequences for both countries and has suggested possible retaliation.
Trump and Trudeau discussed various topics, including the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S., including the deadly opioid fentanyl, and the ongoing trade deficit between the U.S. and Canada. Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Trudeau had made a commitment to work with him to address these issues.
Trudeau, in his own post, welcomed the opportunity to work together and expressed appreciation for the meeting. A Canadian government official described the dinner as a positive and wide-ranging conversation that lasted three hours.
The meeting was seen as a positive step towards alleviating concerns about a potential trade war between the two countries. However, many economists have warned that Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on imports could increase costs for U.S. consumers and harm the economy.
In a separate post, Trump also addressed the issue of the BRICS countries, which includes countries such as Brazil, Russia, and China, and warned that they would face “100% tariffs” if they were to create a new currency or back another currency over the U.S. dollar.
