, 12.04.2019 08:18 AM

Bye bye, NAFTA: “Trudeau mocks Trump” (updated)

That’s the main story over on Fox News, which is basically a Rorschach Pattern of Donald Trump’s brain.

Trudeau’s remarks – and that of Macron and Johnson – are completely defensible, but that doesn’t matter.  And, why the Brits (a) had a pool camera pointed at the leaders (b) no one told the leaders (c) no staffers bothered to ask…well, those things will be debated for many days to come, I suspect.

What won’t be debated is that Trump now has an excuse to treat Canada like a chew toy for the foreseeable future.  Again.  Adios, NAFTA et al.

That impeachment vote can’t come soon enough!

UPDATE: Aaaaaand we’re off to the races!

42 Comments

  1. Douglas W says:

    Photo: Boy Trudeau, among men.

  2. joe says:

    a) Justin, the actor, is always aware of the cameras.

    b) Justin is trying to appeal to the approx 66% of voters who did not vote conservative. So these remarks will not hurt him with those voters.

    c) if Trump retaliates, Justin will blame Trump for Canada’s economic woes.

    d) This is Justin’s first world leaders gathering after the blackface incidents became public. He’s smiling because he’s relieved that some leaders are not ignoring him. The post election humble Justin will soon disappear, and the confident, arrogant Justin will return.

    • Pipes says:

      Meanwhile Trump goes to DEFCON 1 on Canada.
      Thanks Justin.

    • The Doctor says:

      So you’re saying JT deliberately got clandestinely recorded?

      • joe says:

        Trudeau knows when the camera is around.

        He is also a very vindictive person. Just ask JWR, Philpott, Admiral Norman, Caesar-Chavannes, etc.

        So he got called out by Trump on NATO spending. And as soon as possible he’s slagging Trump. I’m not a fan of Trump, but Justin has promised that he’d do things differently. We need to be more civil in politics. Looks like another Trudeau broken promise.

  3. PAM LEVY says:

    Ah that face of our PM! Our great leader. He just can’t help himself. Tick tock!

  4. Robert White says:

    Everyone loves a bit of shadenfreude around this time of year. Prime Minister Trudeau has every right to react as a human being to Trump’s personality & psychopathy.

    Pretty much everyone in the world is laughing at Trump behind his back on Internet. It’s nice to see our PM out & about socializing and having some fun at Trump’s expense.

    RW

    • Robert,

      I’m with you. It’s certainly not like Trump never lowered himself to laugh at someone else — in or out of politics.

    • Chris says:

      “It’s nice to see our PM out & about socializing and having some fun at Trump’s expense.”…

      …until Trump, for example, slaps a tariff on Canadian aluminum and steel products in retaliation, or stops defending the Keystone XL pipeline in US Courts.

      I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself at Trump’s expense, Robert White. Many thousand laid-off steel-workers, and aluminum plant workers, and energy industry workers are not enjoying their Christmas season. They’re worried about foreclosed houses and drained RRSPs and finding the nearest food-bank.

      There is a reason why most people hope their leader (Prime Minister or President) is a mature, serious person. Unfortunately both Canadians and Americans have little of either quality in their leaders.

  5. Mike says:

    You gotta wonder about these commenters here. Canadians? I think most people have an even better opinion of Trudeau now than they did before. But haters gonna hate. Pathetic!

  6. Martin says:

    Does anyone actually still believe that we are going to get a different JT this time around? Never was qualified and never will be qualified.

  7. It’s highly unlikely Trump will cancel NAFTA. He (or rather his advisors) don’t want to make it temping for Republicans to vote to remove him.

    • The Doctor says:

      It’s true that Trump, at least during his lucid intervals, wants to be seen to be getting things done (to bolster his “do nothing Democrats” talking point). Thus in that sense he would very much like to get the new NAFTA passed.

    • Darwin,

      BINGO!

      Plus those Chamber of Commerce and Club for Growth ads wouldn’t be too nice either.

  8. Nick M. says:

    Thing is Trumps team’s Jaws didn’t drop, because his team is past the point on being shocked.

    I think Trudeau was trying to save face from being embarrassed at a press conference.

    In a workplace, I find the powerless people tend to spread fake stories to take control of the narrative of a situation. And that is what I feel happened here.

  9. PJH says:

    ” He’s been showing a lot of maturity and restraint post-election.”

    Sadly, that didn’t last long……

  10. Peter says:

    As defensible as the remarks may be, it’s still reckless for a Canadian PM to talk that way in public, much more so than for a French or Brit leader. For Canadians and especially Canadian leaders, anti-American sentiments are a sweet delight to be savoured privately and domestically, not shared publicly with Europeans.

    These days, can any leader argue credibly that he/she should be forgiven because they didn’t know the cameras were on?

    • Peter,

      Another bingo!

      At least Trump “didn’t” bug Justin’s cell. LOL.

    • The Doctor says:

      Yet another reason why innumerable good and talented people refuse to run for public office these days.

    • Fred from BC says:

      “As defensible as the remarks may be, it’s still reckless for a Canadian PM to talk that way in public,”

      It sure is. I don’t care what he says about Donald Trump in private, but what kind of idiot would risk being plunged into a recession just so he can play the tough guy? Once again, just as it happened at the G7 meeting, Trudeau waits until Trump has left the venue, and *then* takes a couple of shots at him (wow…what a brave guy…).

      You want to see how a real man does it, Justin? Watch the tape of Macron. Take Trump on *to his face*, instead of behind his back.

  11. Trump, petty as he usually is, went right out of his way to get Trudeau to cool his reindeered heels. Vixen screws Prancer, just for the hell of it.

  12. Kris says:

    If you had one mic at your disposal and you had to point it at one individual in hopes of recording something stupid or controversial who would it be? You (or at least the person holding that one mic) guessed it. Oh my.

  13. Mike says:

    Looks like it’s only right wingers and media morons who have their panties in a bunch over this video. Most people the world over got a big laugh out of it.

    • Douglas W says:

      Wish our Prime Minister would act like a statesman. Mike, is that asking too much?

    • Kris says:

      This one obviously flew right past you. Let’s explain…Trump is thin skinned and this incident gives him the pretext he needs to be vindictive. If it only affected Trudeau no one would care but it won’t: Canada becomes collateral damage. This is the second time Trudeau got caught bad mouthing Trump. Mike, time to take off the Lefty goggles…

    • Peter says:

      Yes Mike, it’s very important that, in managing Canada-US relations, our PM knows how to give Canadians and the rest of the world a good giggle.

  14. lyn says:

    I find Trudeau very uncouth. If Trudeau was doing wonders for our economy and making Canada Great Again, he could be forgiven. But Trudeau made promises to Canadians but has never followed through on, maybe USMCA will be the first. He will let Canadians down once again by reverting back to his old self where he thinks he infallible!

  15. Chris says:

    Oh well.
    Since the election the Liberal government has apparently seen the need for serious, mature responses to very serious issues affecting Canada, like starting the process to mend fences with the Prairies and to maintain trade-peace with our NAFTA (USMCA) partners in Washington and Mexico.

    In both situations they sent the serious and intelligent Chrystia Freeland, the “real” Prime Minister of Canada, and kept “mascot” Justin Trudeau back home in the basement.

    This one time they let Trudeau out in public and he couldn’t go 48 hours without creating a diplomatic incident.

    The last time Trump felt a perceived slight from Canada he threatened NAFTA and slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum, causing the lay-offs of thousands of Canadian workers. These incidents have real and serious consequences for many Canadians.

    Laugh all you want at the child-like orange man but have some empathy for those affected and demand sincerity, honesty, maturity, and intelligence from your country’s leader(s).

    • lyn says:

      Chris: EXACTLY!! Laugh all you want at the child-like orange man but have some empathy for those affected and demand sincerity, honesty, maturity and intelligence from your country’s leaders.

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