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US President Joe Biden, in a White House statement released on January 7, called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a "friend" and “close partner”, while US President-elect Donald Trump has been talking about making Canada the “51st US State.”
Trudeau recently announced his plans to resign as the Canadian Prime Minister. He said he would stay on both as prime minister and Liberal head until the party chooses a new leader to take it into the next election, which must be held by late October this year.
In the wake of the recent political developments in Canada, Biden said he is "proud" to call Trudeau his "friend" and would be forever grateful for his "partnership and leadership." Biden said the alliance between the US and Canada is stronger because of Trudeau.
In a post on X, Biden stated, “The last time I visited Ottawa, I said that the United States chooses to link our future with Canada because we know that we'll find no better ally, no closer partner, and no steadier friend.”
“The same can be said of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The US-Canada alliance is stronger because of him. The American and Canadian people are safer because of him. And the world is better off because of him. I am proud to call him my friend. And I will be forever grateful for his partnership and leadership,” Joe Biden said.
In the White House statement, Biden reflected that Trudeau was the first foreign leader he spoke with upon becoming President. The US President said he had a conversation with Trudeau on Monday and appreciated their enduring partnership over the years.
He also added that they stood together with the people of Ukraine in the face of the Russian offensive. Biden said that Trudeau, over the past decade, has led with "commitment, optimism, and strategic vision."
In the statement, Biden stated, “When I became President, he was the first foreign leader I spoke with. I spoke to him yesterday and expressed my appreciation for his partnership over the years. Together, we've tackled some of the toughest issues our nations faced in decades, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change to the scourge of fentanyl.”
He added, “We've stood together with the people of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression to defend our nation's most sacred value: freedom. And we have made generational investments to strengthen our supply chains and rebuild our economies from the bottom up and middle out--establishing North America as the most economically competitive region in the world.”
Biden's comments came before Donald Trump reiterated that Canada must become the 51st US state. Trump also referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor” of the “Great State of Canada.”
In a rambling press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday (January 7), Trump said he would not rule out using military or economic coercion to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal and vowed to bring Canada to heel.
Trump even shared a share a map showing Canada a part of the United States (US).
Trudeau hit back at Trump over his comments about using “economic force” to acquire Canada. He posted on X: “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”
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