U.S. President Donald Trump says he rejected a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau because he鈥檚 upset with Canadian tariffs -- but Trudeau鈥檚 office says it never extended an invitation.
Trump said Wednesday that he turned down a meeting with Trudeau 鈥渂ecause his tariffs are too high and he doesn鈥檛 seem to want to move and I told him, 鈥楩orget about it.鈥欌��
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office curtly rejected Trump鈥檚 version of events to CTV News, saying 鈥渘o meeting was requested.鈥�
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have any comment beyond that,鈥� the spokesperson said.
The back-and-forth followed an explosive and occasionally contradictory press conference in which Trump threatened to slap new taxes on Canada鈥檚 auto industry 鈥� a business sector he described as 鈥渢he motherlode鈥� 鈥� if NAFTA negotiators fail to reach a deal.
鈥淚f Canada doesn鈥檛 make a deal with us, we鈥檙e going to make a much better deal. We鈥檙e going to tax the cars that come in,鈥� Trump said during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
鈥淲e will put billions and billions of dollars into our treasury, and frankly we鈥檒l be very happy, because it鈥檚 actually more money than you can make under any circumstance with making a deal.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 new threat comes just four days before the American-imposed deadline, set for Sept. 30, to provide Congress with updated text of the NAFTA deal. The U.S. and Mexico have already reached a consensus following bilateral negotiations.
Canadian negotiators are still meeting behind closed doors with American counterparts in hopes of hammering out an agreement. The two sides have reportedly made progress in recent weeks, but have been unable to settle a few key issues.
Trump cast serious doubts on those talks, saying he was very unhappy with 鈥渢he negotiations and negotiating style of Canada.鈥� He accused Canada of treating the U.S. 鈥渧ery badly鈥� and specifically called out Canada鈥檚 dairy industry, which he says hurts farmers in Wisconsin and New York, his home state.
鈥淐anada has a long way to go. I must be honest with you, we鈥檙e not getting along at all with their negotiators,鈥� Trump said.
But Trump later suggested that there鈥檚 still 鈥渁 good chance still鈥� that a deal could happen, but he doesn鈥檛 plan to accept 鈥渁nything near鈥� what Canadian negotiators have proposed.
Specifically addressing Canada鈥檚 NAFTA team, Trump said: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 like their representative very much.鈥�
It鈥檚 unclear exactly which representative Trump was referring to. Canada is represented by a team of NAFTA negotiators led by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
For her part, Freeland has remained optimistic but tight-lipped about the state of NAFTA talks. Last Thursday, she told reporters in Washington, D.C. that the atmosphere in the room 鈥渃ontinues to be constructive.鈥�
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft said Wednesday evening that she鈥檇 heard Trump鈥檚 comments about Canada鈥檚 NAFTA representative. Craft insisted there is nothing but respect between U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer and Freeland at the negotiating table.
Trump went on to say that, if a new deal is struck, he refuses to call it NAFTA because he鈥檚 鈥渘ever liked it.鈥� Instead, he said it could be called 鈥淯.S.-M-C鈥� 鈥� United States, Mexico and Canada 鈥� but that鈥檚 dependent on the terms of the deal.
鈥淏ut it鈥檒l probably or possibly be just U.S.-M. It鈥檒l be United States and Mexico,鈥� he said, before interjecting. 鈥淐anada will come along.鈥�
