President Trump hosted Canadian Prime Minister at the White House on Monday for their first bilateral meeting on a host of issues, including renegotiation of the decades-old NAFTA trade agreement.
The Liberal Party leader arrived just after 11 a.m., greeting Trump with a smile and firm grip of his shoulder before they stepped into the West Wing. Trudeau and Trump proceeded to the Oval Office for a meeting about U.S.-Canada relations, economic issues and presumably, the president’s travel ban.
“No two countries share deeper or broader relations than Canada and the United States,” Trump and Trudeau said in a joint statement. “Our close relationship and ongoing collaboration allow us to successfully meet any challenges we may face over the coming years, and to build a prosperous future for the people of both countries.”
Trudeau, who had a close relationship with former President Obama, has agreed to renegotiate the NAFTA trade deal that Trump so forcefully decried on the campaign trail. But the prime minister remains opposed to Trump’s executive order on immigration and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
However, both men agreed to take steps toward securing the U.S.-Canada border and further integrating shared border operations.
“Together, we address security at our shared border and throughout our two countries, while expediting legitimate and vital cross-border trade and travel,” their statement read.
Vice President Mike Pence joined the two leaders in the Oval Office for their meeting, before a roundtable discussion on women entrepreneurship and child care policy that Trump’s daughter Ivanka organized.
The White House preceded the roundtable with an announcement that Trump and Trudeau will launch a joint council for the advancement of women entrepreneurs and business leaders.
“Both President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau are committed to removing barriers to women’s economic participation and supporting women as they advance in the business community,” an administration official told reporters, adding that “today’s discussion will center on how to encourage more connectivity and business activity between women business leaders” and the U.S. and Canada.
In their first sit-down meeting, Trump and Trudeau also discussed counterterrorism initiatives, economic policy and energy security. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to advance the transnational Keystone XL pipeline, a decision applauded by his Canadian counterpart.
“As the process continues for the Keystone XL pipeline, we remain committed to moving forward on energy infrastructure projects that will create jobs while respecting the environment,” the two men said in their statement.
