Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exchange some dark humor about their escalating trade dispute at the G7 summit
- Just hours after exchanging jabs on social media amid an escalating trade dispute, President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were face to face at the G7 summit in Canada, exchanging some dark humor about it in front of TV cameras.
- "Justin has agreed to cut all tariffs," Trump quipped, referring to Canada's tariffs on $12.8 billion worth of US goods that the country imposed in response to Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the north.
- Trudeau playfully jabbed back: "I'd say NAFTA is in good shape," referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement between his country, the US, and Mexico that Trump is seeking to renegotiate.
On the opening day of the G7 summit in Canada, President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exchanged some dark humor about the trade dispute currently roiling some of the US's oldest allies.
"Justin has agreed to cut all tariffs," Trump quipped during remarks with the Canadian prime minister on Friday, referring to that country's tariffs on $12.8 billion worth of US goods that the country imposed in response to Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the north.
Trudeau playfully jabbed back: "I'd say NAFTA is in good shape," referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement between his country, the US, and Mexico that Trump is seeking to renegotiate.
Just one day earlier, Trump was calling Trudeau "indignant" on Twitter, as he leaned in on his going assertion that the US's longtime partners deserve punitive tariffs on certain goods.
The two leaders insisted that their talks at the G7 summit on Friday had gone well. "Our relationship is very good," Trump said, according a White House pool report. "We are actually working on cutting tariffs and making it all very fair for both countries. And we've made a lot of progress today," he said.
The ongoing controversy over Trump's tariffs have rattled the US's allies, top GOP lawmakers in Congress, and some of America's top CEOs - but Trump has remained steadfast, despite that the retaliatory measures, like those from the European Union and Mexico are set up to hit Trump where it could hurt the most.