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Donald Trump is a willing listener ‘you can work with,’ Trudeau says
The Toronto Star ^ | June 22, 2017 | Daniel Dale, Washington Bureau

Posted on 06/22/2017 2:30:08 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Trudeau complimented Trump but downplayed his importance to the Canada-U.S. relationship in an interview at the University of Toronto on Thursday, saying that the U.S. president “knows how to interact socially on a very effective level.”

According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump is a willing listener with good social skills who keeps his word and is open to changing his mind when presented with opposing positions.

Trudeau, who has made a determined effort to avoid angering the mercurial president, offered his complimentary assessment in a public interview with two New York Times journalists at the University of Toronto on Thursday.

He also continued his parallel effort to downplay Trump’s importance to the broader relationship between the U.S. and Canada. Though the president is powerful, Trudeau said his government is also engaging American states, cities and businesses that are continuing to adopt “progressive” policies on climate change and other issues even when Trump does not.

Some members of the audience chuckled when Trudeau said Trump “knows how to interact socially on a very effective level” and then praised the president’s listening.

“I can understand the laughter,” he said, “but there’s a lot of politicians who have a deep vested interest in being right all the time. And therefore close themselves sometimes off to facts or evidence or differing opinions. What I’ve found from this president is: he will listen to arguments made, he will look at the ensemble of facts and proposals … he will be open to shifting his position.”

Despite their differences, Trudeau said, “I’ve always found that whenever he has made an engagement to me or a commitment to me on the phone or in person, he has followed through on that. And that’s someone you can work with.”

He acknowledged that he has been forced to adjust to Trump’s unusual operating style. Their phone calls, he said, happen with far less notice than his calls with ex-president Barack Obama. And he said Trump’s tweets present “a new wrinkle in international diplomacy,” forcing him to consider whether a Canadian reaction is warranted.

He suggested that he sometimes learns about the tweets in his morning briefing.

“We are not going to respond to sabre-rattling with more sabre -rattling,” he said. “We are going to stick to facts and being reasonable about things.”

Trudeau, who has used former prime minster Brian Mulroney as an adviser on handling Trump and the U.S. government, praised the opposition Conservatives as “thoughtful” and “very helpful” on the U.S. file.

Trudeau said there is a “100 per cent” chance that there will continue to be a North American Free Trade Agreement next year. Asked if it will exist in four years, though, he said, “Who knows?”

Trudeau made an early effort to cultivate a relationship with Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and White House adviser. He said he has not spoken to her since she accompanied him to a Broadway show, Canadian play Come From Away, in March.


TOPICS: Canada; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: allies; allycanada; canada; second100days; trade; trudeau; trump; trump45
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1 posted on 06/22/2017 2:30:08 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

end NAFTA NOW... watch these Canucks get on their knees.

#AmericaFirst


2 posted on 06/22/2017 2:32:50 PM PDT by sheehan (DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The exact opposite of Obama.


3 posted on 06/22/2017 2:33:01 PM PDT by Williams (Stop tolerating the intolerant.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Trudeau was orgasmic over Obama. I’ll bet it really turned his stomach to put in a favorable word for DJT.


4 posted on 06/22/2017 2:35:32 PM PDT by madprof98
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Someone should tell the Black Cacus?..


5 posted on 06/22/2017 2:36:08 PM PDT by FrankR (FULL REPEAL, OR NO DEAL)
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To: sheehan

Trump is not going to walk away with a bad deal. This is what he does.


6 posted on 06/22/2017 2:37:05 PM PDT by dp0622 (The Left should know that if Trump is kicked out of office, it is WAR!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Trudeau had to have a war room to figure this out!


7 posted on 06/22/2017 2:41:40 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

My opinion of Trudeau has just gone up. I bet it went down in the liberal circles.


8 posted on 06/22/2017 2:41:46 PM PDT by CJ Wolf (just a conspiracy theory, no facts behind the above post.)
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To: sheehan; Former Proud Canadian; JudyinCanada
end NAFTA NOW... watch these Canucks get on their knees.

That might not be wise...or necessary.If their PM is willing to respect Trump then a strong trading relationship with Canada seems like it would be mutually beneficial.Of course *we* (the US) should sever all trading relationships with Mexico...who is our enemy in every respect except militarily.Canada,OTOH,is obviously free to have whatever kind of relationship with Mexico that they want.

A strong,mutually beneficial,trade relationship with Canada? Yes.

But Mexico can go pound sand.

9 posted on 06/22/2017 2:44:17 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Comey = The Swamp Fighting Back)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Convervatives like him, Alt-right likes him, rappers like him, cops like him, military people like him, Union people like him, gay boy PM’s like him...

The guy is just really, REALLY likeable.


10 posted on 06/22/2017 2:45:47 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: CJ Wolf
My opinion of Trudeau has just gone up. I bet it went down in the liberal circles.

One advantage that Canada has had over Finland is that she knows that *her* powerful neighbor isn't gonna invade her.

11 posted on 06/22/2017 2:46:47 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Comey = The Swamp Fighting Back)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Trump listens.

They think that because Trump listened he agrees with them. This is not necessarily true but even knowing this people still believe it.

12 posted on 06/22/2017 2:48:52 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Not a Romantic, not a hero worshiper and stop trying to tug my heartstrings. It tickles! (pink bow))
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To: Gay State Conservative

I think we really only have 2 major beefs with Mexico
(1) They’re actively encouraging their citizens to become unauthorized residents of the USA
(2) Street drug and arms trafficking.

That’s why the Wall. Good fences make good neighbors. Canada is respectful enough towards the USA not to need a Wall.

But still. The USA is a temptation that Mexico has a hard time resisting. It takes two to tango here, meaning in half the nod-wink that is transpiring on the US side. How angry are you with people of both US parties who acquiesced in this?

Mexico can be a friend again once it is a good neighbor.


13 posted on 06/22/2017 2:49:22 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“..the mercurial president...”

The writer exposes his negative bias toward Trump in the second sentence.


14 posted on 06/22/2017 2:51:47 PM PDT by enumerated
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To: enumerated

Hg


15 posted on 06/22/2017 2:55:25 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: enumerated

Donald needles a lot of political figures, and they frequently flare up at it.

Since there is no office of court jester in the Federal government, Donald had to double in this role. I think he actually doesn’t do too bad a job of it.


16 posted on 06/22/2017 2:57:27 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: enumerated

That’s exactly what I noticed, too. “Mercurial.” Sure, why not?


17 posted on 06/22/2017 2:57:59 PM PDT by Prince Caspian
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Trump can effortlessly squash that Pajama Boy like a bug.


18 posted on 06/22/2017 3:00:03 PM PDT by Moonman62 (Make America Great Again!)
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To: Prince Caspian

It could be a backhanded compliment. Mercury was the fabled messenger of the gods, if I remember the mythology correctly.

And the “gods” are busy telling the world “Hey! You are screwing up!”


19 posted on 06/22/2017 3:00:16 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Yes, Mercury the messenger god with winged feet. I think you’re right. That must have been it.


20 posted on 06/22/2017 3:04:49 PM PDT by Prince Caspian
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