Trudeau not expecting bromance with Trump
PM not first Canadian leader to have difficult dealings with an American president
WASHINGTON — Canada’s prime minister has to go see the U.S. president, and he’s not especially thrilled. The president is deeply unpopular in Canada — and elsewhere, since campaigning on protectionism and tariffs.
The prime minister wants to lay low. His plan: get in and out of Washington with the least possible fuss. He even pleads with photographers while entering the White House: Don’t snap my picture. He’d rather not be seen with this president.
What a stark difference from his other Washington visit — when he basked in the wellwishes of hundreds in a pompfilled festival on the White House lawn as he visited a different president, adored by Canadians. The year was 1931. When he goes to the White House today, Justin Trudeau might feel like he’s experiencing the life of R.B. Bennett — only in reverse. The 11th prime minister went from juggling a political hand-grenade in the form of Herbert Hoover to sunbathing in the glow of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Hoover was a human-sized heap of dead political weight. Lawrence Martin’s book The Presidents and the Prime Ministers chronicles various ways Bennett avoided being seen during his 1931 trip.
“The ultimate snub occurred on the White House lawn,” Martin wrote.
“Twenty-five photographers prepared to take the standard picture of the president and the visiting dignitary . . . But Prime Minister Bennett stopped them . . . (He said that) since the visit is ‘unofficial’ pictures should wait for another occasion. The problem, as most top officials there realized, was that Bennett did not want to be seen on the front page of Canadian newspapers with Herbert Hoover. “The meeting with the president did not go well.” How different with FDR. Two years later, Bennett arrived at the White House for meetings aimed at reversing the protectionist devastation of the Hoover years. He and Roosevelt released a joint statement promising to expand trade.
The New York Times called the White House lawn welcome “a scene of shifting colour.” About 500 people were there to greet Bennett and a French dignitary. Eleanor Roosevelt served tea. There was a state dinner. Newspaper scribblers were on hand to record the president’s first words to his guests: “I am glad to see you. Welcome to the White House.”
Trudeau was treated last year to such a scene on the White House lawn. The smile etched into his face, and the arms extended in a hug around Barack Obama, prompted headlines about a bromance.
Now he’s pulled in two directions in dealing with Donald Trump — Trudeau has conceded as much.
In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press, Trudeau said he has dual responsibilities: on the one hand, to encourage a strong economic partnership, and the other, to stand up for his values.
“In certain situations, it’s to work in a very collaborative way. In other situations, it will be . . . very clear that we do not share the same values,” he said.
He’s hardly the first prime minister to deal with a politically problematic president — as illustrated by the Hoover episode. George W. Bush’s unpopularity in Canada also caused headaches for the Paul Martin Liberals, who agonized for months over missile-defence co-operation with the U.S.
However, a former Martin aide says he feels lucky — dealing with Bush was pleasant. For starters, Bush was easygoing, said Scott Reid. His White House was filled with professionals who understood Canada’s political realities, and didn’t hold grudges.
“I don’t think our situation with George W. Bush was even remotely as challenging,” Reid said. “I always found that (Bush) was impressive. And thoughtful . . . . You were dealing with a rational human being.”