President-elect Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed a wide range of issues, including tariffs and China, during a three-hour long dinner at Mar-a-Lago, according to reports on Saturday. The Canadian Prime Minister described the unexpected meeting at Trump’s Palm Beach golf resort as an “excellent conversation.”
However, he provided no further details while speaking to reporters outside a hotel, CNN reported. The in-person meeting occurred just days after Trump warned of a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican exports along with additional tariffs on China to the United States unless both nations took action to reduce the flow of illegal fentanyl and migrants into the country.
Trudeau’s Surprise Visit to Mar-a-Lago
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According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the two leaders also covered topics such as NATO, the situation in Ukraine, oil pipeline projects, and icebreaker ships during their discussion. The meeting, dubbed a mini-summit, was reportedly suggested by Justin Trudeau, according to the Toronto Star.
During his discussions with Donald Trump, Trudeau emphasized that the number of illegal migrants entering the U.S. from Canada is significantly lower than from Mexico.
Additionally, his senior officials have openly highlighted their collaborative efforts with U.S. authorities to tackle the fentanyl crisis.
A photograph from the gathering captured the two leaders seated alongside members of Trump’s soon-to-be administration.
Among those present at the table were Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice for national security adviser; Doug Burgum, the nominee for Secretary of the Interior; Howard Lutnick, nominated as Commerce Secretary; and Pennsylvania Senator-elect Dave McCormick.
Trudeau Extends More Cooperation
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Accompanying Trudeau at the meeting were Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and his chief of staff, Katie Telford.
“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. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau told reporters in press conference Friday morning, according to Bloomberg.
“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.”
If implemented, Trump’s harsh tariffs could disrupt U.S. supply chains and heavily impact industries dependent on imports from its nearest trading partners.
Following Trump’s announcement, CNN reported that he and Trudeau had a short phone call centered on trade and border security. A high-ranking Canadian government official described the discussion as constructive and mentioned that both leaders agreed to maintain communication in the coming days.
