Justin Trudeau touts ‘excellent conversation’ with Donald Trump amid tariff tangle

Justin Trudeau met with Donald Trump to discuss the agreement replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday he had an “excellent conversation” with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club after the president-elect’s threat to impose significant tariffs on two of America’s leading trade partners raised alarms in Ottawa and Mexico City.

It was unclear, as Trudeau headed back to Canada from Florida, whether the conversation had alleviated Trump’s concerns.

A person familiar with the details of the leaders’ hastily arranged meeting Friday night said it was a “positive wide-ranging dinner that lasted three hours.” The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said topics included trade, border security, fentanyl, defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast and pipelines, as well as the the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year.

The Republican President-elect has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January.

As he was leaving his West Palm Beach hotel, Trudeau stopped briefly to answer a reporter’s question about the dinner meeting, saying it was “an excellent conversation.” Trump’s transition team did not respond to questions about what the leaders had discussed.

Among those at the dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick for commerce secretary; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, in line to lead the Interior Department; and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Accompanying Trudeau were Canada’s public safety minister, Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, and Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff.

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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.