Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touched down Friday evening at Palm Beach International Airport for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
On Monday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he wished to impose a 25 percent import tax on Canada – and also on Mexico – to pressure America’s neighbors to do more to control illegal immigration coming over the U.S. border.
Two hours later, Trudeau got on the phone with Trump, with the two leaders having a constructive conversation on trade and border security.
Now it appears the Canadian prime minister is going to make an in-person plea.
Earlier this week Trudeau told reporters that Canada should take Trump’s tariff threat seriously.
‘One of the things that is really important to understand is that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out,’ Trudeau said, according to the Globe and Mail. ‘There’s no question about it.’
‘Our responsibility is to point out that, in this way, he would be actually not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, he’d actually be raising prices for American citizens as well and hurting American industry and businesses,’ Trudeau added.
The president-elect touted tariffs during his 2024 campaign as a way to bend other countries to his will, though critics pointed out that the cost of import taxes are generally passed on to the consumer.
Trump won a second term, in part, because he pledged to be better on the economy than President Joe Biden and later Vice President Kamala Harris, as Americans are still feeling financially challenged by high prices in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touched down Friday evening at Palm Beach International Airport for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump
A photograph of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plane on the tarmac Friday evening at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida – a short drive from Mar-a-Lago
The Republican also won due to his more hardline stance on immigration.
The 25 percent tariff threat on Canada and Mexico, Trump suggested, would get those countries to better control the flow of people over the U.S. border.
He claimed that Canada and Mexico had ‘the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem.’
The tariffs, Trump said, would apply to ‘ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders.’
‘This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!’ Trump exclaimed.
President-elect Donald Trump (center) seen with Melania Trump (left) and trailed by Elon Musk (right) on Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida
Trump has been holding court at Mar-a-Lago all week through the Thanksgiving holiday – also spending hours at his nearby West Palm Beach golf club.
On Wednesday night he entertained Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for dinner after spending the afternoon playing a round of golf.
He had a full house at Mar-a-Lago for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Social media posts showed billionaire Elon Musk in close company with the president-elect, Melania and Barron.
Tiffany Trump, who’s expecting her first child, was also spotted, alongside brother Eric and sister-in-law Lara, who co-chaired the Republican National Committee this cycle.
Additionally, actor Sylvester Stallone was on hand.