obligations

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 4, 2019

Trump calls Trudeau ‘two-faced’ after candid video

U.S. President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “two-faced” after a video went viral of the Canadian leader apparently speaking candidly to other world leaders about Trump.

“Well he’s two-faced,” the president said on Wednesday, when asked about the conversation in which Trudeau seemed to make reference to the president’s lengthy, unplanned media availability the day before.

Trump went on to speculate about Trudeau’s motivation for engaging in the gossip – namely, Canada’s failure to meet the recommended defence spending target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product.

“Trudeau, he’s a nice guy. I find him to be a nice guy, but the truth is, I called him out on the fact that he’s not paying 2 per cent, and I guess he’s not very happy about it. I mean, you were there. A couple of you were there,” Trump told reporters.

“He should be paying more than he’s paying. And he understands it. So I can imagine he’s not that happy. But that’s the way it is.”

In the video, Trudeau was speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Princess Anne, daughter of the Queen.

The video, which was shot during a reception at Buckingham Palace late Tuesday, shows Johnson asking Macron why he was late. In response, Trudeau quips, “he was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top.”

Though the president is never mentioned by name, Trump had taken multiple questions from journalists during an unscheduled news conference ahead of meetings with Trudeau, Macron, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Trudeau went on to say, without a clear context, that “You just watched his team’s jaws drop to the floor.”

The gossiping and name-calling comes in stark contrast to the mood between the two world leaders yesterday, when Trump said of Trudeau that it was “an honour to be with a friend,” and touted their “very good relationship.”

The prime minister echoed Trump’s sentiments, saying the relationship between Canada and the United States is “is incredibly strong, I don’t think it’s ever been stronger.” (CTV News)