Marjorie Taylor Greene has backed Donald Trump’s exorbitant tariffs on Canada, using a defense described “bogus” by Justin Trudeau hours earlier.
Speaking before the president’s address to a joint session of Congress, the Georgia representative told The Independent that the Canadian PM needed to “step up” and do more to solve the alleged problem of harmful opioids entering the U.S. from the north.
“What would be important is for Prime Minister Trudeau to focus on the fentanyl problem, and the cartels who are producing fentanyl in Canada.
“We hope that he steps up and secures the border and protects Americans lives. There’s 200 to 300 Americans that die every single day from fentanyl. President Trump is very serious about the protected Americans and stopping the cartels.”
On Tuesday the president forged ahead with his vow to place 25 percent tariffs on Canada, after accusing his neighbor to the north of failing to do enough to stem the flow of the deadly fentanyl opioid and its precursor chemicals into the U.S.
In response, Trudeau called reasoning “completely bogus, completely unjustified, completely false.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday the Canadian prime minister said the tariffs on Canadian imports were “a very dumb thing to do” and that Ottawa would be striking back immediately. He also accused Trump of wanting to ruin the Canadian economy.
Trudeau also announced 25 percent tariffs on C$30 billion worth of U.S. imports. If need be, Canada will target another C$125 billion worth in 21 days’ time, he said.
“Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well-being of everyone in it is at stake,” Trudeau said.
Trump responded by saying the Canadians’ retaliatory tariffs would be met with immediate reciprocal tariffs.
The relationship between the two men, which has never been warm, has deteriorated in recent months after the president repeatedly talked of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state and mockingly referred to Trudeau as its “governor” rather than prime minister.
Trump has said he is unhappy with the trilateral U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal that he signed in his first term. Trudeau played down the idea of opening talks ahead of a review scheduled for 2026.
“Given that he is choosing to want to ruin the Canadian economy, I don’t know whether to bring forward negotiations, given the situation of such bad faith that we’re in,” said Trudeau, who warned Canadians that tough times were coming.
