Faced with the real possibility that Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination and perhaps even the presidential elections, Justin Trudeau assures that Canada would be able to “manage” the beast as it “knew how to do” during its four tumultuous years in power.
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“Mr. Trump represents a certain uncertainty,” admitted the Prime Minister at a press conference in Montreal on Tuesday morning, to close a retreat for his cabinet before returning to Parliament next week.
“We don’t know exactly what he will bring, but as we were able to do seven years ago now, we were able to manage Mr. Trump well by defending Canadian interests and demonstrating that we can create growth economy on both sides of the border.”
Mr. Trudeau was quick to point out that after eight years in power, he has already worked, exchanged and negotiated with three American presidents, starting with Barack Obama and today with Joe Biden, including Mr. Trump.
“It is certain that there is no American president who is easy for a Canadian prime minister. It is always a complex relationship where the interests of the Americans take up a lot of space in the discussion,” the Prime Minister commented on Tuesday.
Despite this, Mr. Trudeau recognized that Donald Trump “does not mean the same thing as Mr. Biden,” as a journalist in the room put it.
Neck to neck with Joe Biden in the polls, Donald Trump, despite endless lawsuits, receives the support of a considerable part of the American population, for whom the are nothing but a tissue of lies.
On the other side of the border, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government are significantly weakened in the polls, and are falling behind Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
Some observers believe that a strong comeback by Donald Trump could favor the federal Liberals: the majority of Canadians do not abhor him.
Hesitant to openly criticize Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau does not hesitate to bring him as close to his conservative rival as possible. As proof, the Prime Minister and members of his team have been saying for some time that Poilievre’s conservatives are playing MAGA-style politics, the acronym for Make American Great Again, the movement launched by Mr. Trump.
“In two years, here in Canada, we will make a similar choice, we will have a similar choice to make: ‘Are we moving forward to defend democracy, our principles? Do we continue to fight against climate change? Do we defend individual rights? Do we defend minorities? Or are we going backwards because we are too angry about everything that is happening in the world around us? said the Prime Minister, without naming Mr. Poilievre, during a conference in Montreal last week.