Trudeau praises Biden’s world leadership as pressure mounts on U.S. president to quit race
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As a growing number of Democrats call on U.S. President Joe Biden to drop his re-election bid, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Thursday that NATO and the G7 are “lucky” to have Biden leading “in some extraordinarily consequential times.”
The 81-year-old Biden is facing mounting criticism over a June 27 debate performance against 78-year-old Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president. The two men are the oldest candidates ever to seek the presidency.
Several congressional Democrats have urged Biden to re-think his re-election prospects. Hollywood actor George Clooney has joined that group and is now calling on Biden to quit the presidential race.
When asked by reporters whether Biden could lead on the world stage, Trudeau said “it has been, as always, a privilege and a pleasure to work alongside [Biden] on big issues.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is asked about U.S. President Joe Biden’s mental acuity during the NATO summit as questions swirl about whether Biden can win re-election against Donald Trump.
“[Biden’s] depth of experience, his thoughtfulness, his steadfastness on the greatest issues and challenges of our time is a credit to the work that we’re all doing together,” Trudeau added.
While Biden admitted to ABC News during an interview after the debate that it was a “bad night” for him, he has strongly resisted calls to drop out of the election.
Cautious words on U.S. politics
Trudeau and his Liberals have been reluctant to comment on the presidential election, which could pose risks for Canada’s relationship with its largest trading partner and most important ally.
When Trump announced his intention to run again last November, Canadian officials told CBC News that they intended to withhold comment.
Trudeau did criticize Trump during an interview with CBC’s Rosemary Barton back in December 2023. He said “there’s a concern” about the future of efforts to combat climate change should Trump return to the White House.
In a year-end interview with CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a second Donald Trump presidency could slow down the world’s progress on climate change in “concerning” ways.
But Trudeau also noted that every American administration brings challenges for Canada.
Regarding NATO — the backdrop of Trudeau’s comments — Trump already has threatened to stop defending NATO countries that don’t meet their commitment to spend at least two per cent of their GDP on defence.
On Thursday, after a flurry of criticism from allies, Trudeau said Canada hopes to meet that commitment by 2032.
Elbridge Colby, a senior defence strategist in the last Trump administration, has told CBC News “there have to be consequences” for allies that don’t meet the two per cent benchmark.
Colby suggested those penalties could include sidelining Canada from international meetings or economic actions like tariffs.
While Trudeau did not say precisely how the Liberal government will fulfil the spending commitment, both his defence and foreign affairs ministers have suggested that uncosted, unapproved elements of a new defence policy will push Canada up to and possibly past the two per cent mark.
Canada’s next defence review is set for 2028.
