Trump Humiliates Trudeau

President-elect Donald Trump mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a social media post on Monday. Trump called Trudeau “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” Trump’s comments are part of his ongoing criticism of Canada, as he has pledged to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian exports unless Canada and Mexico address issues like undocumented migration. This could have serious economic consequences for Canada, which depends heavily on exports to the U.S.

The post came after a Thanksgiving weekend dinner between the two leaders at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, which Trump described as “a pleasure.” Despite the extensive discussion between the two on the effects of tariffs, there is no indication that Trudeau changed Trump’s stance. At one point, Trump even joked that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state.

Members of Trudeau’s Liberal Party downplayed the comments. “The president was teasing us,” said Canadian public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc.

During his first administration, after a G7 summit, Trump berated Trudeau, calling him “dishonest and weak” on Twitter.

In response to Trump’s tariff threat, Trudeau has shifted toward a more assertive stance. Trudeau suggested Canada could retaliate with tariffs on U.S. goods. “We will, of course, as we did eight years ago, respond to unfair tariffs in a number of ways, and we’re still looking at the right ways to respond,” Trudeau told a business audience in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “One of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic,” he added.