Republican Senator Attacks President-Elect Trump in Comments to NBC News: “I don’t think it’s smart for him to humiliate Trudeau like he has”

A Republican Senator attacked President-Elect Trump in comments to NBC News over his treatment of Canada and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying, “I don’t think it’s smart for him [Trump] to humiliate Trudeau like he has.” The Senator, who was given anonymity by NBC to criticize Trump, also said that Trump “doesn’t have a huge mandate. This is a 50-50 country.”

Trudeau flew down to meet Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago last weekend with their respective staff members and Senator-elect Dave McCormick (R-PA) after Trump threatened Canada, Mexico and China with stiff tariffs if the three nations did not act to stop the flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S.

Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman, who was at the dinner, spoke to the AP about the meeting (excerpt):

Hillman said the bulk of Friday night’s dinner centered around Trump’s border concerns. The ambassador said a priority of Trudeau’s was to point out the degree of difference.

Hillman said there really is no comparison, noting there is essentially zero trafficking of fentanyl from Canada to the United States. She said there are seizures but authorities say those are personal use seizures and not criminal trafficking. She said that 99.8% of the fentanyl seized by U.S. authorities in the U.S. comes from Mexico.

But Hillman said Canada is ready to make new investments in border security and there are plans for more helicopters, drones and law enforcement officers.

She also noted an agreement between Canada and the United States that allows for migrants caught crossing illegally into the United States to be sent back to Canada. She said that was talked about. She said Mexico and the U.S. do not have a similar agreement.

At the dinner that lasted three hours, Hillman said America’s trade deficit with Canada was also raised. Hillman said the U.S. had a $75 billion trade deficit with Canada last year but noted a third of what Canada sells into the U.S. are energy exports and prices have been high.

For his part, Trump reportedly jokingly told Trudeau that Canada could become the 51st state with him as governor if Canada could not handle his policies:

PETER DOOCY: “Tonight, we’re getting new details about that Trump-Trudeau dinner from two people who were at the table. We are told that when @JustinTrudeau told President-elect Trump that new tarrifs would kill the Canadian economy, Trump joked to him that if Canada can’t… pic.twitter.com/eAYNJL6SCq

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) December 2, 2024

Excerpt from an NBC News report published Friday about Trump acting like he is already president while Joe Biden fades from the scene that featured the anonymous GOP Senator attacking Trump:

At least one Republican lawmaker questioned whether Trump’s approach does, indeed, work. After Trump warned that he would slap tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China unless they cracked down on the movement of migrants and drugs across the U.S. border, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate, to see him.

Trudeau’s support in Canada has been slipping. He faces a tough re-election bid, and the spectacle of him racing to Mar-a-Lago for an audience with Trump risked making him look like a supplicant.

“I don’t think it’s smart for him [Trump] to humiliate Trudeau like he has,” a Republican senator said, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk freely. “Canada is a good friend and is not a problem.”

The senator said: “Trump was elected to break some plates, but he doesn’t have a huge mandate. This is a 50-50 country. We’ve got midterm [elections] coming and we’ve got one year to deliver, and it’s going to be hard to get prices down with these tariffs.”

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