Report: Trudeau to meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago after speaking out against the tax

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with President-elect Donald Trump on Friday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Canada's CBC News reported. The meeting comes after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on goods from Canada.

Trudeau will dine with Trump at Mar-a-largo on Friday night, according to senior sources who spoke to CBC News on condition of anonymity because of the trip's sensitivity. Sources say the meeting was pushed by Canadian officials, the Canadian broadcaster said.

Trudeau's plane landed at Palm Beach International Airport around 5:30 pm local time.

The meeting comes after Trudeau earlier on Friday warned that if Trump follows suit the threat of tariffs on Canadian productshe will be raising prices for Americans and hurting American businesses.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products if the countries do not stop what he calls the flow of drugs and immigrants across the southern and northern borders. He said he will impose a 25% tax on all products to enter the US from Canada and in Mexico as one of his first high commands.

“It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans to fulfill them. There is no question about it,” Trudeau told reporters on Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada.

“Our job is to show that not only will it hurt Canadians, who are doing well with the United States, but it will actually raise prices for American citizens and hurt American industry and businesses,” he added.

Trudeau said that Trump was elected because he promised to lower the cost of groceries but now he is talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products, including potatoes from Prince Edward Island.

Those tariffs could destroy the North American trade deal that Trump's team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted that they were able to successfully renegotiate the agreement, which he called a “win-win” for both countries.

“We can work together like we did before,” Trudeau said.

Trump made the tariff threats Monday while criticizing the influx of illegal immigrants, though the numbers at the Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border.

The US Border Patrol arrested 56,530 people at the Mexican border in October alone – and 23,721 were arrested in Canada between October 2023 and September 2024.

Trump also railed against fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, although seizures from the Canadian border are few compared to the Mexican border. US customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared to 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.

Canadian officials say merging Canada and Mexico is wrong but are ready to invest new money in border security.

“We will work together to meet other concerns,” Trudeau said. “But ultimately it is because of the many constructive conversations I will have with President Trump, that will keep us moving forward in the right direction for all Canadians.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that she is sure that a tariff war with the United States will be avoided. Trump posted on social media that he spoke with him and agreed to stop unauthorized immigration crossing the border into the United States.

When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for example, announced billions of new jobs in 2018 against the US in a tit-for-tat response to new Canadian steel and aluminum tariffs.

Canada is the top exporter of the 36 US states. About $2.7 billion worth of goods and services cross the border each day.

Canada is also the largest supplier of iron, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 key minerals and metals that the Pentagon covets and invests in for national security.