Canadian prime minister in Florida to defuse Trump tariff standoff: Report

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to the US state of Florida for a crucial meeting Friday with US President-elect Donald Trump following a threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, according to a report.

CBC News reported that Trudeau's plane landed at Palm Beach International Airport where he is expected to dine with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Reports said Canada's Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc is accompanying the prime minister on the visit that comes after Trump announced Monday that the tariffs would remain in place until Canada and Mexico address the "invasion" of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl, and undocumented migrants into the US.

Emphasizing the seriousness of Trump's tariff threats, Trudeau said at a news conference earlier Friday that "Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There's no question about that."

"Our responsibility is to point out that, in this way, he would be actually not just harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, he'd actually be raising prices for American citizens as well, and hurting American industry and businesses," he said.

The US imported approximately $435 billion in Canadian goods between January and September 2023, revealing the potential economic effect of the proposed tariffs.