Canada’s Trudeau Returns Home After Trump Meeting Without Assurances That Tariffs Are Off The Table | EUROtoday

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned house Saturday after his assembly with Donald Trump with out assurances the president-elect will again away from threatened tariffs on all merchandise from the main American buying and selling accomplice. Trump referred to as the talks “productive” however signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the circulate of medication and migrants into the United States.

After the leaders’ swiftly organized dinner Friday night time at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago membership in Florida, Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation” and mentioned in a publish later Saturday on X, accompanied by a photograph of the 2 males seated a desk and smiling, that he appeared ahead to “the work we can do together, again.” Trump mentioned earlier on Truth Social that they mentioned “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.”

For points in want of such cooperation, Trump cited fentanyl and the “Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration,” truthful commerce offers “that do not jeopardize American Workers” and the U.S. commerce deficit with its ally to the north.

Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American households from fentanyl from China reaching the United States via its neighbors. The U.S., he mentioned, “will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic.”

The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all merchandise coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one among his first government orders when he takes workplace in January.

U.S. customs brokers seized 43 kilos of fentanyl on the Canadian border final fiscal yr, in contrast with 21,100 kilos on the Mexican border. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests on the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests on the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officers say they’re able to make new investments in border safety.

Trudeau referred to as Trump after the Republican’s social media posts concerning the tariffs final Monday they usually agreed to satisfy, in keeping with a official accustomed to the matter who was not licensed to publicly talk about element of the personal talks. The official mentioned different nations are calling Canadian officers to listen to how about how the assembly was organized and to ask for recommendation.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after talking with Trump on the phone, mentioned Thursday she was assured a tariff warfare with Washington could be averted.

At the dinner that was mentioned to final three hours, Trump mentioned he and Trudeau additionally mentioned vitality, commerce and the Arctic. A second official cited protection, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast, pipelines and the Group of Seven assembly in Canada subsequent yr as different points that arose.

Trudeau’s workplace mentioned in a press release that the leaders “shared a productive wide-ranging discussion” centering on “collaboration and strengthening our relationship,” including, “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, throughout his first time period as president, as soon as referred to as Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it surely was the prime minister who was the primary G7 chief to go to Trump because 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,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Trudeau had mentioned earlier than leaving from Friday that Trump was elected as a result of he promised to convey down the price of groceries however now was speaking about including 25% to the price of every kind of merchandise, together with potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada.

“It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau mentioned.

“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.

The threatened tariffs might basically blow up the North American commerce pact that Trump’s crew negotiated throughout his first time period. Trudeau famous they had been capable of efficiently renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for each nations.

When Trump imposed larger tariffs as president, different nations responded with retaliatory tariffs of their very own. Canada, for example, introduced billions of recent duties in 2018 in opposition to the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian metal and aluminum.

Canada is the highest export vacation spot for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) value of products and providers cross the border every day.

About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electrical energy imports are from Canada.

Canada can also be the biggest overseas provider of metal, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 essential minerals and metals that the Pentagon is raring for and investing in for nationwide safety.

Canada is likely one of the most trade-dependent nations on the earth, and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S.

Gillies reported from Toronto.