Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that he had an “excellent conversation” with President-elect Donald Trump last night at his Palm Beach, Florida, club Mar-a-Lago, according to the Associated Press.
On Friday night, Trudeau arrived at Trump’s Florida residence for a dinner. He left early on Saturday. It was the first time the two leaders had met since Trump won the 2024 presidential election earlier this month, and Trudeau is the first leader from the Group of Seven (G7) nations to visit with Trump post-election.
Newsweek has reached out to the Canadian prime minister’s office and Trump’s press team for comment via email on Saturday.
In a Saturday afternoon post on Truth Social, the president-elect’s social media platform, Trump called the meeting with Trudeau “productive.” He added that they “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.”
The president-elect also noted they “also spoke about many other important topics like Energy, Trade, and the Arctic.”
Trudeau’s visit comes as Trump has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico unless the countries curb what he described as the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. Trump made the remarks on Monday, warning that imposing such tariffs would be among his first executive orders when he takes office in January 2025.
Trump wrote in a Monday Truth Social post, “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. This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem.”
Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum separately called Trump earlier this week following his announcement. They described the conversations as friendly and constructive. Sheinbaum said Thursday she remains optimistic that a tariff war with the United States can be avoided.
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Ahead of his visit, Trudeau expressed confidence in resolving the issue through dialogue with Trump. Speaking to reporters in Prince Edward Island earlier on Friday, he said, “We’re going to work together to address some of these concerns. But ultimately, it’s through constructive conversations with President Trump that we’ll stay on the right track for all Canadians.”
Trump and Trudeau have clashed over tariffs before. In 2018, Canada imposed billions of dollars in duties on American goods in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Trudeau has held Canada’s top office since November 2015.
Canada is the leading export destination for 36 U.S. states, with nearly $2.7 billion in goods and services crossing the border daily. It is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum, and uranium to the U.S.
Late Friday night, Senator-elect Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican, posted a photo on X, formerly Twitter, showing his dinner table at Mar-a-Lago, with Trudeau and Trump sitting side-by-side.
Others seated at the table are McCormick’s wife, Dina Powell, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who has been tapped to lead the Department of the Interior, Kathryn Burgum, Howard Lutnick, who has been tapped to be Trump’s commerce secretary, Allison Lutnick, Julia Waltz, and Representative Mike Waltz, Trump’s nominee for national security adviser.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancé, shared the photo on her Instagram page.
The photo has raised some attention on social media, as in the background a child is seen sitting at another table behind Trudeau and Trump, making a face at the camera.
Update 11/30/24, 1:44 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with Trump’s Truth Social post on Saturday.
Update 11/30/24, 12:41 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional context and information.
