Trump 'no longer working' in best interest of Americans, Trudeau says in U.S. speech
Justin Trudeau speaks during TIFF 2026 at TIFF Lightbox on Sept. 11, 2026 in Toronto. Photo by Robert Okine /Getty ImagesArticle contentOTTAWA — Former prime minister Justin Trudeau said the U.S. is an “extremely unpredictable” partner because President Donald Trump’s administration is “no longer working” in the best interest of Americans.
The former prime minister shared his thoughts on the current Trump administration as part of a question and answer session with Brown University President Christina Paxson in Rhode Island on Tuesday.
Asked by Paxson where he sees the current “trade tensions” between Canada and the U.S. ending up, Trudeau said that there are differences between the current administration and when he negotiated with Trump during his first term.
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One of them is the increased predictability as Trump seeks to sign “win-lose” deals, rather than “win-win” deals, with other countries, even if it has a negative impact on Americans.
“The U.S. for decades behaved in its own interest, but in a predictable way,” Trudeau told the American crowd. “You got to say, ‘no, no, if we’re going to do something, it has to be in our interest.’ That’s fine, and the world figured out how to make sure that your interests and our interests could be served.”
“Suddenly, the unpredictability is the U.S. administration is no longer working in the best interest of the American people, and that makes it extremely unpredictable and difficult for countries to navigate through, for friends to rely on, but also for businesses to invest,” he added.
To prove his point, Trudeau cited Trump’s latest tariffs on Canadian aluminium and softwood lumber as self-harming policies by the U.S. administration.
The U.S. does not produce enough aluminium and has long relied on Canadian product to meet its domestic demand, Trudeau said. So, when Canadian aluminum costs more due to U.S. tariffs, a myriad of American products like beer cans become more expensive without local production increasing.
