‘Horrible, horrible deals’: Trump criticizes Biden’s visit to Canada

After U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrapped up their historic summit on Friday, former president Donald Trump shared his disdain for what he called “horrible, horrible deals” between Canada and the U.S.

During his first rally since announcing his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump spoke to his supporters in Waco, Texas on Saturday, showing a defiant display against a potential indictment and support for insurrectionists who were imprisoned for their role during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots.

Under the Trump presidency, the U.S. and Canada renegotiated NAFTA along with Mexico to form the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In his speech, Trump said Canada treats the U.S. “horribly” on trade issues, but also called Trudeau “a great gentleman.”

“I dealt with Trudeau and I dealt with some of his people. They treat us horribly on trade,” Trump said during the rally. “I’m watching these different deals that they’re announcing. They are horrible, horrible deals for our country. They’re great for Canada, but horrible, horrible deals for our country.”

Trudeau and Biden discussed an array of cross-border issues during their meeting, but a focus was placed on strengthening Norad, tackling unofficial ports of entry to address irregular migration, furthering efforts on renewable energy and support for Haiti.

“I watched Joe Biden yesterday in the halls of Parliament, Canadian Parliament, this beautiful Parliament and there’s Trudeau with his beautiful wife and they’re sitting there laughing and laughing. They think it’s so great because they pulled the wool over (Biden’s) eyes. The deals they’ve made, I would never have made those deals,” Trump said.

Additionally, Trump also brought up Biden’s brief slip-up during his speech in the House of Commons, when he accidentally thanked China before correcting himself to thank Canada instead. Biden’s stumble made for an awkward moment in Parliament as a federal investigation is set to get underway amid allegations of foreign interference by China during the 2019 and 2021 federal election.

“I watched Joe Biden say, ‘I’d like to thank China’ and he’s in Canada,” said Trump. “The entire room starts laughing… They’re laughing at our country. We don’t want anyone to laugh. Nobody laughed at our country when I ran and I can tell you that,” he said.