President-elect Trump took another shot at the Canadian prime minister on his Truth Social account just after midnight on Tuesday, claiming “it was a pleasure” to meet with “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.”
“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” he wrote. “I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!”
Last week, Trump and Trudeau met at the president-elect’s opulent Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, for a “very productive meeting.” Trudeau came to Florida just days after Trump threatened to levy broad tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods.
Trump has proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, blaming their failures to prevent the flow of illegal immigration and drugs into the United States.
Trump’s remark on Tuesday comes after sources previously told Fox News that the president-elect warned the prime minister during the meeting that if a tariff for failing to handle trade and immigration issues would destroy the neighbor to the north’s economy, perhaps it should become the 51st state.
“We discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address, like the fentanyl and drug crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not jeopardize American workers and the massive trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada,” Trump wrote in an interview with Truth Social last week.
“I made it plain that the United States will no longer sit idly by as our folks become victims of the drug pandemic, which is mostly fueled by drug gangs and fentanyl imported from China. “There is too much death and hardship!”
The two reportedly addressed energy, trade, and the Arctic, however Trump did not reveal any additional information about the meeting.
“All are critical issues that I will address in my first days back in office, and before,” Trump added, without specifying whether tariffs were still on the table.
Late last month, Trump said on Truth Social that he would apply tariffs on Canada and Mexico on his first day in office.
“Right now a Caravan coming from Mexico, composed of thousands of people, seems to be unstoppable in its quest to come through our currently Open Border,” he stated in an email. “On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders.”
During his first term, Trump renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and replaced it with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into force in July 2020. The USMCA sought to modernize and fix concerns in the original NAFTA, including labor rights, environmental standards, and digital trade.
“I’m going to inform her [Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum] on day one, or sooner, that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send into the United States of America,” Trump said during his final North Carolina campaign stop before the election.
