Trudeau in Florida to meet Trump as tariff threats loom

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau meets with Trump in Florida amid trade tensions, potential tariffs, and diplomatic discussions.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Florida on Friday (November 29, 2024) for a dinner with Donald Trump at the U.S. president-elect's Mar-a-Lago estate, as the incoming U.S. leader promised tariffs on Canadian imports.

The unannounced meeting comes at the end of a week that has seen Canada as well as Mexico scramble to blunt the impact of Mr. Trump's trade threats, which experts have warned could also hit U.S. consumers hard.

A smiling Mr. Trudeau was seen exiting a hotel in West Palm Beach before arriving at Mar-a-Lago, making him the latest high-profile guest of Mr. Trump, whose second term — which starts in January — is already overshadowing the last few months of President Joe Biden's administration.

Flight trackers had first spotted a jet broadcasting the prime minister's callsign making its way to the southern U.S. State. A Canadian government source later told AFP that the two leaders were dining together.

Mr. Trump caused panic among some of the biggest U.S. trading partners on Monday when he said he would impose tariffs of 25% on Mexican and Canadian imports and 10% on goods from China.

He accused the countries of not doing enough to halt the "invasion" of the U.S. by drugs, "in particular fentanyl," and undocumented migrants.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke with Mr. Trump by phone on Wednesday, though the two leaders' accounts of the conversation differed drastically.