Trump discussed his phone call with Trudeau in two posts made on his Truth Social platform on the afternoon of March 5.
After a phone call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss recently imposed tariffs, President Donald Trump said he told the Canadian leader there hasn’t been enough done to stem the flow of fentanyl.
Trump also accused Trudeau of using the tariff issue to “stay in power.”
Trump discussed his phone call with Trudeau in two posts made on his Truth Social platform on the afternoon of March 5.
“Justin Trudeau, of Canada, called me to ask what could be done about Tariffs,” Trump wrote. “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 also wrote that the call ended in a “’somewhat’ friendly manner,” while also accusing Trudeau of using the tariff issue to hold onto power in his final days in office.
“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,” Trump said.
There was no immediate public reaction from Trudeau to Trump’s posts. The Epoch Times reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.
Trump’s social media posts came amid comments earlier that day from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who said he would announce a change to the tariffs policy.
“He’s going to come up with a plan this afternoon, we’re going to announce that plan,” Lutnick told Bloomberg on March 5.
Repeating comments made the previous day, Lutnick mentioned finding some “middle” ground on tariffs with Canada and Mexico.
“There’s going to be 25 percent tariffs,” Lutnick clarified. “It’s not the ’middle’ as in a number. I think it’s a middle in terms of USMCA [or] not USMCA,” suggesting items covered by the free trade deal between the countries would receive different tariff treatments.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing later that day that Trump has decided to grant a one-month tariff exemption to U.S. automakers Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors so they’re not economically disadvantaged. “We spoke with the big three auto dealers, we are going to give a one-month exemption on any autos coming through USMCA,” Leavitt said in relaying a statement from Trump.
By Noé Chartier
