Canada's Trudeau meets with Trump amid tariff threats over border issues

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Donald Trump on November 29 in Florida, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The meeting comes as Trump threatens to impose new tariffs on neighboring countries unless they take stronger action to curb illegal drugs and undocumented migration at the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders, News.az reports, citing Bloomberg.

Trudeau landed in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening, people familiar with the plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity to share details on the meeting.

Trump earlier this week vowed to hit Canada and Mexico as well as China with additional tariffs, casting the levies as necessary to secure US borders, a top concern of voters in November’s presidential election. The president-elect said he would impose an additional 10% tariffs on goods from China and 25% tariffs on all products from Mexico and Canada if they failed to act.

The two leaders had dinner joined by Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc — whose portfolio includes border security — as well as Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, according to a person familiar with the matter. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice to be secretary of the Interior; Howard Lutnick, his pick to lead the Commerce Department; and Mike Waltz, whom he selected as his national security advisor, also attended, along with the three men’s spouses, the person added.

Trump’s first specific vow to curb global trade flows since his election has roiled markets. His threats, which he made on his Truth Social network, sent the Canadian dollar falling. That evening, Trudeau contacted the president-elect in a phone call to discuss border security and trade, according to a government official with knowledge of the matter.

The prime minister pointed out that the number of migrants who cross the country’s border into the US is minuscule compared to those who make their way from Mexico, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Canadian officials in recent days have also been quick to insist that they are working closely with the US to combat the flow of fentanyl — a deadly synthetic opioid that has sparked a public health crisis in the US.

News.Az