The outgoing Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, was moved to tears during a press conference in Ottawa after the President of the United States, Donald Trump, allegedly tormented him with a tariff war for a week.
In a viral video, Trump was seen mocking Trudeau, threatening to annex Canada as the 51st state.
Trump also referred to the prime minister as ‘Governor Trudeau’ in the video.
On Tuesday, the US imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada, plunging the countries into a trade war.
Later, Trump backtracked on his economic stance, stating that goods compliant with the North American Free Trade Agreement would be exempted from tariffs until April 2.
He also hinted on the possibility of a similar exemption for Canada.
Trump did not back out from bullying Trudeau, saying, “Believe it or not, despite the terrible job he’s done for Canada, I think that Justin Trudeau is using the Tariff problem, which he has largely caused, in order to run again for Prime Minister. So much fun to watch!”
Trudeau is attempting to salvage a sense of triumph after being pressured to resign when it seemed unlikely he could win the next election.
Speaking at the press conference, Trudeau became emotional as he realised the end was near.
Trudeau said, “On a personal level, I made sure that every single day in this office, I put Canadians first and I have peoples’ backs and that’s why I’m here to tell you all that we got you, even in the last days of this government, we will not let Canadians down today and well into the future.”
According to MailOnline, Trudeau would step down soon, as the next Canadian election was set to take place October 20, 2025.
Mark Carney, former head of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, is the frontrunner in the Liberal leadership race with the most party endorsements and the most money raised among the four major candidates.
Former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who broke with Trudeau over Canada’s fiscal position and tariff preparation after Trudeau tried to replace her, is also prominent in the race.
About 400,000 Liberal party members are eligible to cast ballots in the leadership contest.
Meanwhile, since Trump was reelected president in November, he has started referring to Trudeau as a “governor” of Canada who could soon become the “51st state” of the United States.
Trudeau was deeply disturbed by the news of Trump’s intention to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods imported into the United States, describing the decision as “dumb.”
The president warned Trudeau on Tuesday that the United States was prepared to impose additional tariffs on Canada’s economy.
On social media, Trump stated, “Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!”
He added that without the US, Canada could not survive, adding that Canada relied heavily on the country.
During the press conference, Trudeau said, “We’re insulted, we’re angry, but we’re Canadian, which means we’re gonna stand up for each other, we’re gonna fight… and we’re gonna win.”