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President Trump has accused Justin Trudeau of using the drama over tariffs to “stay in power,” following an explosive phone call with the Canadian prime minister as the war of words between Washington and Ottawa heated up on Wednesday.
Trump once again branded Canada’s leader “Governor” — a nod to his claim that America’s northern neighbor would be better off as America’s 51st state — in the blistering broadside.
He also slammed Trudeau for presiding over “Weak Border Policies,” that he said had led to drugs and illegal immigrants “pour[ing] into the United States,” in a rant on his Truth Social account.
“Justin Trudeau, of Canada, called me to ask what could be done about Tariffs. I told him that many people have died from Fentanyl that came through the Borders of Canada and Mexico, and nothing has convinced me that it has stopped,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He said that it’s gotten better, but I said, ‘That’s not good enough.’ The call ended in a ‘somewhat’ friendly manner! He was unable to tell me when the Canadian Election is taking place, which made me curious, like, what’s going on here? I then realized he is trying to use this issue to stay in power. Good luck Justin!” he added.
Trudeau announced he would step down as prime minister and head of Canada’s Liberal Party on Sunday, when his successor will be announced.
A new general election is expected as soon as April or May. Trudeau said in January that he will not run for reelection for his seat in Parliament.
However, the fortunes of his Liberal Party are looking up dramatically.
Just six weeks ago, the opposition Conservative Party was leading the Liberals by 26 points, according to polling from Ipsos — but in the wake of Trump’s threatened trade war, support for the Liberals has surged.
On Wednesday, the latest polls showed the Conservatives leading by just three percentage points, 40% to 37%, according to respected pollster Angus Reid.
Trump’s furious posts came a day after Trudeau dismissed Trump’s imposing of tariffs on Canadian goods as “dumb,” and accused him of declaring a “trade war,” before announcing reciprocal tariffs on American goods in his own country at a press conference.
“Even though you are a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do,” Trudeau said, after he looked directly into the camera and referred to Trump by his first name.
“For anyone who is interested, I also told Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada that he largely caused the problems we have with them because of his Weak Border Policies, which allowed tremendous amounts of Fentanyl, and Illegal Aliens, to pour into the United States,” Trump added in a separate Truth Social post. “These Policies are responsible for the death of many people!”
On Wednesday, the White House explained that Trump really does think Canada should become an American state.
“He feels strongly that it would be very beneficial for the Canadian people to be the 51st state of the United States,” Trump’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday. “They wouldn’t be paying for these tariffs. They’d have much lower taxes if they were part of our country.”
America’s tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada went into effect just after midnight on Tuesday morning, along with similar policies for Mexico and China.
Trudeau unveiled a retaliatory 25% tariff on $155 billion of American goods on Tuesday, with $30 billion affected immediately.
“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, and their closest friend. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau said at the press conference.
Video showed grocery stores north of the border removing hundreds of bottles of American whiskey from their shelves after Trudeau urged shoppers to “buy Canadian instead.”
Acknowledging the short-term pain such measures could cause, Trump urged Americans to ‘bear’ with him on tariffs during his feisty 99-minute address to Congress on Tuesday night.
Mexico’s President Claudia Scheinbaum announced on Tuesday that her government will lay out a series of retaliatory tariffs on US products this Sunday.
China has responded to the 20% tariff on its products with up to 15% tariffs on many American farm exports, including soybeans, and hit a further two dozen US companies with export controls and other restrictions.
