Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Florida to meet with Donald Trump, just days after the president-elect threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
Trudeau’s plane landed Friday evening at Palm Beach International Airport, which Trump uses when he travels to his Mar-a-Lago estate.
In photos posted to social media late Friday night by new Pennsylvania Sen. David McCormick and Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump and Trudeau were seen sitting side by side at a dinner table, joined by other guests, including the North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
A trip to Mar-a-Lago was not included in the Canadian leader’s public itinerary for Friday, and the offices of Trump and Trudeau were not immediately available for comment.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The two men spoke on the phone earlier this week after Trump announced his tariff plan. Trudeau said the pair had a “good conversation” and talked about “some of the challenges we can work on together.”
Trump said on Truth Social last week that one of his first executive orders would be to hit Mexico and Canada with an across-the-board tariff of 25%.
“This tariff will remain in effect until drugs, especially Fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!” Trump said in the post.
President Joe Biden criticized Trump’s announcement, saying the comments were “counterproductive.”
“I hope he reconsiders it, and I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do,” Biden said, responding to a reporter’s question about his response.
According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, Mexico and Canada are the second and third largest suppliers of goods to the US, accounting for almost 30% of trade volume. Canada sends about 75% of its total exports to the US
The vehicles, dairy products, paper products and building materials such as wood would be affected.
The US imports the most goods from China.
Trump has repeatedly promised during his campaign to impose more tariffs, especially on China. Some economists have criticized the possibility of high tariffs, arguing that the costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
