Trump meets Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago; discusses trade, border security, drug crisis

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where they discussed key bilateral issues, including trade, tariffs, border security, and drug trafficking.

In a social media post on Friday, Trump described the meeting as "productive", highlighting Trudeau's commitment to address these issues. However, there was no indication of any resolution of the differences between the incoming US administration and the Canadian government.

“I just had a very productive meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, where we discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address," Trump said.

The topics include Fentanyl and drug crisis due to illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not jeopardise American workers, and the massive trade deficit the US has with Canada, he said.

Trump emphasised his administration's commitment to tackling the drug epidemic.

“The US will no longer sit idly by as our citizens become victims to the scourge of this drug epidemic, caused mainly by drug cartels, and Fentanyl pouring in from China,” he said.

“Too much death and hardship! Prime Minister Trudeau has made a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation of US families. We also spoke about many other important topics like energy, trade, and the Arctic. All are vital issues that I will be addressing on my first days back in office, and before,” Trump said.

According to The New York Times newspaper, the dinner meeting between the two leaders on Friday included senior Canadian officials and Trump’s close aides. Prominent among them were North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump's nominee for interior secretary; Howard Lutnick, his pick for commerce secretary; and Mike Waltz, his choice for national security adviser.