Despite their striking differences on immigration policy, President Trump and Canadian Pr𝓡ime Minister Justin Trudeau found common ground Monday on a broad range of issues, from trade to creating more opportunities for women in business.
At a joint press conference after their meeting at the White House, Trudea♐u took the high road when asked about Trump’s proposed🐭 travel ban.
“Canada and the United States have been neighbors a long time. And Canadians and Americans have stood together, worked together, at home and around the world. We have fought an💃d died together,” said Trudeau, a staunch liberal whose nation has taken in 40,000 Syrian refugees.
“But there have been times where we have differed in our approaches,” he continued. “The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choo🐼se to govern themselves. Our responsibility is to continue to govern in such a way that reflects Canadians’ approach and be a positive example in the world.”
Trump’s plan to temporarily ban all refugees as well a🀅s immigཧration from seven Muslim-majority nations remains tied up in federal courts.
Trudeau has panned✃ the ban and welcomed refugee😼s fleeing Syria’s devastating civil war.
Trump defended the ban, declaring that he was fulfilling a campaign pr⛎omise whileღ boasting again about the size of his victory.
“I’m just doing what I said I would d🅷o when we won by a very, very large Electoral College vo꧋te,” the president said.
“And I said we will get the criminals out, the drug ✨lords, the gang members. We are getting them out,” he added, referring to the arrest in recent days of more than 💝680 illegal immigrants.
Trump reassured Trudeau over NAFTA, which Trump repeatedly ripped on the campaign trail, saying his focus was primarily on Mexico. The trade agreement is crucial for Canada, since more than 75 percent of its exports come to t🌄he United States, while only 18 percent of American exports go north of the border.
“We have a very outstanding tr🅷ade relationship w♑ith Canada,” Trump said. “We will be tweaking it. We will be doing certain things that are going to benefit both of our countries.”
, the pair noted that more than $2 billion in trade crossওed the border e🦩very day. Both leaders also pledged to invest in infrastructure and cooperate on energy development.
“As the process continues for the Keystone XL pipeline, we remain committed to moving forward o﷽n energy infrastructure projects that will create jobs while respecting the environment,” the statement said.
The statement also mentioned the importance of beefing up border secu🔴rity and said the two nations will step up efforts to stop opio♉id trafficking.
The leaders also agreed to boost efforts to streng𒈔then the roles of women in the business community.
“As part of this effort, we are creating a United States-Canada Council for Aꦦdvancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders,” read the statement, which was issued after a White House meeting with female executives, including the president’s daughter Ivanka.