Trudeau on Trump: “Those who appease him find that he always wants more”

According to Trudeau, Trump is not looking for win-win solutions but wants to see others lose. While in the past one could at least assume that the USA was acting in its own interest, today one has to learn again that Trump also acts against his own national economic interests. As an example, the Canadian cited punitive tariffs, which would ultimately “only help the profits of US companies” but did not take citizens into account. Trudeau sees the only solution to the US tariffs as diversification and cooperation with other, reliable partners who represent similar values.

Closer cooperation between Canada and Europe

Trudeau also called for closer cooperation between Canada and Europe. He wanted to “do more together” with the Europeans, but “didn’t necessarily want to be one of them.” “Europe is so complicated,” he continued, referring to the negotiations surrounding the Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) from 2017. In the course of the national ratifications to fully implement the agreement, as Canadian Prime Minister he “suddenly” became concerned about national conflicts in Belgium or Romania and had to justify them to the Green Party in Germany.

“Russia must not win in any way”

With a view to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Trudeau opposes discussions about how to offer President Vladimir Putin a face-saving way out. “Russia must not win in any way,” Trudeau said. Otherwise, the signal would be sent to the entire world that shifting borders was worthwhile.

The West must support Ukraine until it wins the war or is ready to negotiate peace itself. The former Canadian head of government said that the lack of a decisive reaction and the lack of “real consequences” to the annexation of Crimea made today’s situation possible.

Companies should take geopolitical risks into account

Trudeau also expressed sharp criticism of US policy in the Middle East and described the withdrawal from the international nuclear agreement as a serious mistake, the consequences of which are now affecting the entire world. The regime change in Iran that Washington was seeking was “completely unrealistic.” “We will have to accept a strengthened Iranian leadership,” Trudeau said.

The Canadian prime minister, who served from 2015 to 2025, warned of an erosion of the rules-based world order. Countries such as China, India and the USA increasingly viewed this order as optional. Europe and Canada would therefore have to continue to work if they did not want a modified world order. But Trudeau also appealed to companies to take greater account of geopolitical risks in their decisions in the future and to align their investments with democratic values.

He cited manipulative algorithms in social media, which are specifically optimized for controversy, as the main accelerant. In contrast, Trudeau called for more dialogue, the strengthening of reliable media and diversity as a business strategy in order to regain trust and social stability.