Trudeau and Trump Discuss Trade, Border Security, No Tariff Promise Made
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump met at a dinner in Florida on Friday. They discussed key topics, including trade, border security, and defence. Trudeau aimed to convince the U.S. president-elect to reconsider his threat of imposing a 25% tariff on all Canadian products.
However, Trudeau returned to Canada on Saturday without any firm commitment from Trump to drop the tariff proposal.
The meeting, which marked the first in-person encounter between Trump and a G7 leader since the U.S. presidential election, had been kept secret by both sides until after its conclusion. Trump later posted a photo on social media of himself with Trudeau and other officials at a round table, calling the meeting “productive.”
While Trump described the meeting as “very productive” and highlighted discussions on tackling the U.S. drug crisis, trade issues, and border security, he did not mention the tariff issue directly. Instead, he focused on other topics, including the Fentanyl crisis, illegal immigration, fair trade deals, and the U.S. trade deficit with Canada.
Trump also noted that the conversation covered energy, the Arctic, and other matters, but did not specify whether Canada had agreed to take any actions related to the tariff.
During the dinner, Canadian officials, including Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford, were present. The discussion included Canada’s plans to increase border security by purchasing helicopters and drones and funding additional staff for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP.
The Canadian delegation indicated that the plan for enhanced border security was well-received by Trump’s team, and follow-up actions are expected soon.
The meeting lasted almost three hours. It covered a wide range of topics, including NATO, Ukraine, and China. Other topics were oil and gas pipelines and liquid natural gas. Preparations for the 2025 G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta were also discussed.
Trump, in high spirits during the dinner, entertained guests by playing music on his iPad, including two versions of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” a song from the musical Cats, and works by Luciano Pavarotti.
Later, Trudeau posted a photo on social media, thanking Trump for the dinner and expressing his optimism for future collaboration: “Thanks for dinner last night, President Trump. I look forward to the work we can do together, again.”