President-elect Donald Trump had dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday evening at Mar-a-Lago.
The meeting came just days after Trump promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada starting on the first day of his administration, specifically calling for a 25% tariff on all products sent to the US.
As Trudeau left a hotel in West Palm Beach on Saturday, he said his dinner with the president-elect the night before “was an excellent conversation.”
He did not stop to take further shouted questions about whether the two discussed tariffs or how he was feeling about his relationship with the US president-elect.
Trump said Saturday that he and Trudeau had a “very productive meeting” and discussed a range of topics, including fentanyl crossing the border and the “massive trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada.”
“I just had a very productive meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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.”
During an unrelated Friday morning news conference, Trudeau said he looks forward to having “lots of great conversations” with Trump and that the two will “work together to meet some of the concerns and respond to some of the issues.”
“One of the things that is important to understand is that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said Friday. “Our responsibility is to point out that in this way he would be 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.”
Some of Trump’s Cabinet picks attended the dinner with Trudeau Friday evening, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — whom Trump has asked to serve as Interior secretary — and his wife, Kathryn.
Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser pick, and Trump transition co-chair Howard Lutnick, his Commerce secretary pick, were also at the table with their spouses.
Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, and Canadian Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc were also in attendance.
Canada’s Global News was the first to report the list of who would be attending the dinner.
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