Tune in Sunday for More From Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Exclusive Interview on “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd”
JUNE 1, 2018 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down in an exclusive interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd telling him that “the idea that we are somehow a national security threat to the United States is quite frankly insulting and unacceptable,” in response to the White House’s decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada.
Trudeau added: “The idea that, you know, our soldiers who had fought and died together on the beaches of World War II on the — and the mountains of Afghanistan, and have stood shoulder to shoulder in some of the most difficult places in the world, that are always there for each other, somehow — this is insulting to them. The idea that the Canadian steel that’s in military, military vehicles in the United States, the Canadian aluminum that makes your, your fighter jets is somehow now a threat?”
When asked if he knew what President Donald Trump wanted by imposing these tariffs, Trudeau replied: “I don’t know … The reason I don’t know is because he’s talked about the fact of this – he’s worried about trade surpluses, trade deficits around the world. Well, they have a 2 billion dollar surplus on steel with us. So it’s not like the trade is imbalanced against the U.S. favor on this one.”
Tune in Sunday for more from Todd’s exclusive interview with Trudeau, as well as an interview with Rudy Giuliani, lawyer for President Trump.
See below for the transcript of this exchange and watch here: https://nbcnews.to/2LenOfL.
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JUSTIN TRUDEAU: The idea that, you know, our soldiers who had fought and died together on the beaches of World War II on the — and the mountains of Afghanistan, and have stood shoulder to shoulder in some of the most difficult places in the world, that are always there for each other, somehow — this is insulting to them. The idea that the Canadian steel that’s in military, military vehicles in the United States, the Canadian aluminum that makes your, your fighter jets is somehow now a threat? The fact that – I mean, next week we’re hosting the G7 summit of, of world leaders and the airfield, the military base, that Air Force One’s going to land in was put there in World War II to protect an aluminum smelter that was providing to the military effort. The idea that we are somehow a national security threat to the United States is quite frankly insulting and unacceptable.
CHUCK TODD: What do you feel as if the president wants from you in putting these tariffs out there?
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: I don’t know.
CHUCK TODD: You don’t know what he wants here. You don’t know, is this about —
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: I know, I know, I know.
CHUCK TODD: –is this about a NAFTA decision? You don’t, you don’t have an idea of what he wants.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: The reason I don’t know is because he’s talked about the fact of this – he’s worried about trade surpluses, trade deficits around the world. Well, they have a 2 billion dollar surplus on steel with us. So it’s not like the trade is imbalanced against the U.S. favor on this one.
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NBC News
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NBC NEWS’ “MEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD”
“Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” is where newsmakers come to make news — setting the political agenda and spotlighting the impact Washington decision-making has on Americans across the country. It is the #1 most-watched Sunday public affairs show across the board for the 2016-2017 season, reaching more than three million viewers every Sunday and millions more through social, digital and on-demand platforms. “Meet the Press” brings its authority and influencer interviews to MSNBC with “MTP Daily” weekdays at 5 p.m. ET and to the “1947: The Meet the Press Podcast”. It’s the longest-running show in television history, having celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2017 with the launch of its first-ever film festival in collaboration with the American Film Institute this November. Chuck Todd is the political director of NBC News and the moderator of “Meet the Press“; John Reiss is the executive producer.
