Matt Cardy/Getty Images Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- Canadian Prime Minster has hit back hard after President Donald Trump announced the US would impose tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum.
- It's a shift in Trudeau's public approach to the Trump administration.
- The increasing tensions come at a critical juncture for the US-Canadian economic relationship.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has embarked on a furious media campaign in recent days, attacking Donald Trump's trade policy in a move that shows a substantial shift in the leader's attitude toward the US president.
Trudeau has released fiery public statements in the days since Trump announced that the US would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. He has also appealed directly to US audiences as part of his media blitz.
Trudeau takes aim at Trump's tariffs
On Thursday, Trudeau blasted Trump's decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.
"Let me be clear: These tariffs are totally unacceptable," Trudeau said at a pres conference announcing retaliatory measures.
Trudeau's strong words continued when he appeared on the top-rated US political Sunday morning show, "Meet the Press." He called the tariffs "frankly insulting" during an interview with host Chuck Todd.
The Trump administration imposed the tariffs on national security grounds, arguing that domestic metals industries need to be protected in the event that a geopolitical issue cuts off access to imported steel and aluminum.
Given that the US and Canada are close allies on geopolitical issues, Trudeau took particular offense to the justification.
"The idea that, you know, our soldiers who had fought and died together on the beaches of World War II, and the mountains of Afghanistan and have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in some of the most difficult places in the world, that are always there for each other, somehow - this is insulting to that," Trudeau said on NBC.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump
Trudeau also stepped up criticism of the Trump administration on negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. Generally upbeat about the talks to this point, Trudeau pulled back the curtain and expressed frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the negotiations.
Trudeau told reporters Thursday that Trump agreed to a sit-down meeting to hammer out details of a new NAFTA, but Vice President Mike Pence reversed course just a few days later.
Trudeau's frustration while recounting the story was palpable, leaving reporters taken aback.
A White House official said Trudeau's version of events was "simply inaccurate."
A shift in tone
The Trump-Trudeau relationship over the US president's first 18 months in office started off amicably, with a strong handshake and a relatively cordial first meeting a month after Trump took office. During that meeting, Trump backed off of his strong campaign criticisms of NAFTA - which he previously called the "worst trade deal in the history of our country" - and suggested the US could be willing to merely tweak the deal.
The early meetings seemed to point to Trudeau taking a softer approach to Trump, trying to maintain a strong relationship while gently prodding the president on economic issues.
But trade strained the once-friendly relationship. In March, audio leaked of Trump bragging during a fundraising dinner about bluffing to Trudeau regarding trade.
"Trudeau came to see me. He's a good guy, Justin. He said, 'No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, please,'" Trump said. "I said, 'Wrong, Justin, you do.' I didn't even know. ... I had no idea. I just said, 'You're wrong.'"
Reuters/Carlos Barria Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) is greeted by U.S. President Donald Trump prior to holding talks at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 13, 2017.
NAFTA talks soon hit significant hurdles over a series of US demands. Then, the Trump administration kick-started its tariffs.
Given the increased blows from the US, Trudeau appears to have decided take a different track.
"This is not about the American people. We have to believe that at some point their common sense will prevail," Trudeau said Thursday. "But we see no sign of that in this action today by the US administration."
The Trump administration, for its part, has not taking the blows lying down. In a statement on Thursday, the White House called out Trudeau by name.
"The United States has been taken advantage of for many decades on trade. Those days are over," the statement said. "Earlier today, this message was conveyed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada: The United States will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all."