Ever since Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States in November 2016 by defeating Hillary Clinton in a stunning comeback, his relationship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been tense and cold. The leaders of the two countries have serious differences and confrontations on a number of important issues, such as climate change, immigration, national defense, and foreign affairs, and have even made sharp criticisms and accusations against each other on some occasions.
Trudeau is a liberal who led the Liberals back to power in October 2015 with slogans promising reforms, promoting diversity and inclusion, strengthening environmental protection, and international cooperation. He has a good friendship with Obama and is considered one of the exponents of global progressivism. Trump, on the other hand, is a conservative who campaigned on slogans such as "Make America Great Again" and "America First", advocating withdrawing from or renegotiating a number of international agreements, strengthening border controls, and adopting a tough ** and foreign policy towards some countries and regions. He has a deep animosity with Obama and is considered one of the exponents of global populism.
The two first met on November 10, 2016, after Trump's election.
The next day, he visited Ottawa, the capital of Canada, where he held talks with Trudeau. After the meeting, the two men issued brief statements saying they were committed to strengthening economic and security cooperation between the two countries, but did not mention any specific issues or plans. The atmosphere of the meeting was cold and awkward, and the handshake between the two also triggered various interpretations and ridicule from netizens.
Since then, the relationship between the two has been deteriorating. In January 2017, Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from seven Muslim countries from entering the United States, sparking strong international and legal challenges. Trudeau, for his part, tweeted that Canada welcomes all refugees who have been forced to flee war and**, regardless of their faith or background. He also expressed his dissatisfaction and concern about the executive order to Trump in **.
In June 2017, Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming, signed by 195 countries and territories, including Canada. Trump called the deal a "fair deal" that is bad for America's economic and energy security. Trudeau expressed "deep disappointment" and reiterated that Canada will continue to deliver on the agreement's commitments to work with other countries to address the challenge of climate change.
In March 2018, Trump announced tariffs of 25% and 10% on imported steel and aluminum products, respectively, to protect U.S. and industrial interests. The move sparked backlash and retaliatory measures from key U.S. partners, including Canada. Trudeau called it an "insult" and announced retaliatory tariffs on about C$12.8 billion ($9.7 billion) worth of U.S. goods. Trump, for his part, took to Twitter to mock Trudeau as "very dishonest and weak" and threatened to impose higher tariffs on Canadian cars and dairy products.
In June 2018, Canada hosted the Group of Seven (G7) summit, at which Trump had heated arguments with other leaders, particularly on issues such as ** and climate change. Trump left the summit early to travel to Singapore to meet with North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. After his departure, Trudeau reiterated Canada's opposition to U.S. tariffs at a press conference and said that the Canadian side would defend its interests "firmly and politely." Trump, for his part, saw Trudeau's speech on the plane and immediately tweeted that Trudeau was a "two-faced man" and instructed U.S. delegates not to sign the summit's joint communiqué.
In August 2018, the U.S. reached a preliminary agreement with Mexico to amend the North American Liberty Agreement (NAFTA), but did not include Canada. Trump threatened that if Canada did not accept the terms of the American side, he would terminate the NAFTA and sign a new ** agreement with Mexico alone. For his part, Trudeau said that Canada will not make concessions under pressure and will only sign agreements that are beneficial to Canada. After weeks of intense negotiations, the three countries finally reached a new** agreement called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the end of September, replacing NAFTA.
The agreement benefits Canada in a number of ways, such as protecting Canada's dairy market, increasing Canada's export quota to the U.S. auto market, and maintaining a dispute settlement mechanism. But in other areas, Canada has also made concessions, such as accepting U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum products, waiving patent protection for pharmaceuticals, and recognizing a certain share of the U.S. dairy market.
In June 2019, Trudeau and Trump met in Washington, the capital of the United States, and the two discussed issues such as **, defense, Iran, Venezuela, etc. Trudeau said his relationship with Trump was "very good" and praised him as "a very direct and open person." Trump, for his part, said his relationship with Trudeau was "excellent" and called Canada "one of the most important allies" of the United States.
However, tensions between the two countries have not been completely eliminated. In December 2019, Canada, the United States and Mexico formally signed the USMCA agreement in Mexico City, but the agreement still needs to be ratified by the parliaments of the three countries before it can take effect. The U.S. Congress passed the deal in January 2020, but the Canadian Congress postponed a vote due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trudeau called on Canadian lawmakers to ratify the agreement as soon as possible to ensure Canada's economic stability and international credibility.
In June 2020, Trump announced that he would reimpose a 10% tariff on aluminum imports from Canada, saying that Canadian aluminum products pose a threat to the United States. Trudeau expressed "extreme disappointment" and announced that he would impose retaliatory tariffs on about C$3.7 billion ($2.8 billion) worth of U.S. goods. He also said that the U.S. tariffs will hurt the economies and workers of both countries, especially under the influence of the coronavirus pandemic.
In August 2020, Trump and Trudeau discussed issues, the coronavirus pandemic, the Middle East and Lebanon. The two agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to address common challenges. Trudeau also expressed his concern for the United States to Trump, hoping that Trump will respect the democratic system and election results in the United States.
In November 2020, Trump lost to Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the United States, but refused to recognize the election results, saying that there was massive fraud and irregularities in the election. Trudeau, for his part, congratulated Biden on his victory the day after the election and said he looked forward to working with him to promote friendly relations between the two countries. Trudeau also strongly condemned Trump's storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, calling it an "attack" on American democracy.
In January 2021, Biden officially took office in the United States**, and Trudeau became the first foreign leader he spoke with. In the meeting, the two discussed issues such as the new crown pneumonia epidemic, climate change, NATO, and Sino-US relations. Trudeau said his relationship with Biden was "very close" and praised Biden as "a very experienced and visionary person." Biden, for his part, said his relationship with Trudeau was "excellent" and called Canada "one of the closest allies" of the United States.