PM Trudeau visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago after tariff threats on Canadian imports

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in his Florida resort on Friday, days after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on Canadian imports over border-related issues.

Trudeau, whose public itinerary did not list a scheduled visit to Florida, was seen leaving a hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida, to go to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a Reuters witness.

Trudeau’s office and Trump’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump threatened on Monday to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, and 10% on goods from China, once he assumes office, as part of his strategy to combat illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking.

Officials from Mexico, Canada, and China, along with major industry groups, have warned that these tariffs would harm the economies of all countries involved, trigger inflation, and disrupt job markets.

Any hit to the Canadian economy would further complicate Prime Minister Trudeau’s challenges, as his popularity has declined due to a slowing economy and rising living costs in recent years. Polls suggest that Trudeau’s Liberal Party would lose to the opposition Conservative Party in an election, which must be held by late October 2025.

Accordingly, Trudeau this week pledged to stay united against Trump’s tariff threat and called a meeting with the premiers of all 10 Canadian provinces to discuss U.S. relations.

Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and sixth-largest natural gas producer, with the vast majority of its 4 million barrels per day of crude exports heading to the U.S. Nevertheless, Trump’s plan does not exempt crude oil from the trade penalties, two sources familiar with the plan told Reuters on Tuesday.