Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet Donald Trump in Florida as Canada seeks to head off the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
Canadian media reported that Trudeau landed in Palm Beach International Airport on Friday evening to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trudeau to meet Donald Trump in Florida
It remains unclear whether the incoming Trump administration will actually move ahead with the threatened tariffs, as analysts note that the president-elect has been known to use such threats in the past as a negotiating tactic to achieve his goals.
Neither the prime minister’s office nor Trump’s team have responded to a request for comment on the visit.
Impromptu meeting
Trudeau to meet Donald Trump in Florida to discuss tariffs on Canadian products was impromptu meeting as the trip was not included on Trudeau’s public itinerary for Friday. The two men will have dinner, and privately discuss how Canada can appease in the incoming president.
Trudeau has often underscored that the two countries were able to successfully negotiate a major trade pact during Trump’s first term, though the relationship between the two leaders has occasionally been rocky.
On Friday, speaking at an event in Prince Edward Island, Trudeau said the two countries “rolled up our sleeves and were able to create jobs on both sides of the border”.
Trump – who has also threatened the same levy against Mexico – has signalled that they would remain in place until both countries work to secure their shared borders with the US.