Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday to discuss recent tensions between the two nations days after the United States president-elect threatened to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China.
According to Reuters, the 78-year-old future US president, on Monday, threatened to impose hefty tariffs, citing concerns over drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl, and immigration issues at the US border.
A Reuters witness spotted Trudeau, 52, leaving a hotel in West Palm Beach to meet the Republican. However, Trudeau's office and Trump's representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The potential tariffs have raised alarms among officials from Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as major industry groups who warned that such economic measures could severely impact their economies, cause inflation to spike and damage job markets.
Any hit to the Canadian economy would add to Trudeau's woes at a time when his popularity has sunk in part due to a slowing economy and a surge in the cost of living over the past few years. Polls show Trudeau's Liberals would lose to the opposition Conservative party in an election that must be held by late October 2025.
Trudeau this week pledged to stay united against Trump's tariff threat and called a meeting with the premiers of all 10 Canadian provinces to discuss US relations.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc is traveling with Trudeau, CBC News reported.
Canada is the world's fourth-largest oil producer and sixth-largest natural gas producer. The vast majority of its four million barrels per day of crude exports go to the US.
Trump's plan does not exempt crude oil from the trade penalties, two sources familiar with the plan told Reuters on Tuesday.
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