Biden, Trudeau touch on trade, Haiti, Brazil unrest
President ‘surprised’ about records found inside his old office
MEXICO CITY — President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday pledged to promote prosperity for people throughout the hemisphere as they opened wide-ranging talks about the fragile security situation in Haiti, North American trade, political unrest in Brazil and more on the sidelines of the North American Leaders Summit.
Biden and Trudeau met before a three-way meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the Mexico City summit. The U.S. and Canadian leaders’ warmth during a brief appearance before reporters at the start of their talks stood in stark contrast to a more brusque exchange a day earlier between Biden and Lopez Obrador, who had complained of “abandonment” and “disdain” for Latin America.
Biden told Trudeau, “What we should be doing, and we are doing, is demonstrating the unlimited economic potential that we have when we work together in the hemisphere, and to help the entire hemisphere.”
All three world leaders were to discuss migration, trade and climate change as they look to mend tensions that have divided the continent.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference later on Tuesday, Biden said he was surprised when informed that government records were found by his attorneys at his former office space in Washington.
Biden said his attorneys “did what they should have done” when they immediately called the National Archives about the discovery at the offices of the Penn Biden Center. He kept an office there after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his presidential campaign in 2019. The White House confirmed that the Department of Justice was reviewing “a small number of documents with classified markings” found at the office.
“I was briefed about this discovery and surprised to learn that there are any government records that were taken there to that office,” Biden said in his first comments since news of the Nov. 2 document discovery emerged Monday. He added that “I don’t know what’s in the documents” and that his lawyers had suggested he not ask.
The three-way gathering in Mexico is held most years, although there was a hiatus while Donald Trump was U.S. president. It’s often called the “three amigos summit,” a reference to the deep diplomatic and economic ties among the countries.
However, the leaders have found themselves at odds, especially as they struggle to handle an influx of migrants and to crack down on smugglers who profit from persuading people to make the dangerous trip to the United States.
In addition, Canada and the U.S. accuse Lopez Obrador of violating a free trade pact by favoring Mexico’s state-owned utility over power plants built by foreign and private investors. Meanwhile, Trudeau and Lopez Obrador are concerned about Biden’s efforts to boost domestic manufacturing,
creating concerns that U.S. neighbors could be left behind.
The key takeaways from the summit revolve around better connections among the three nations and a shared goal of a stronger North America on energy and, in particular, semiconductors, climate and a pledge to cut methane emissions, an agreement to manage large waves of migrants coming to the region, and a more cohesive regional strategy on dealing with future pandemic-related health threats.
Biden and Trudeau discussed their countries’ efforts to support Ukraine nearly a year after Russia’s invasion. Canada announced Tuesday that it would buy an American-made National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System to be donated to Ukraine. The medium-range groundbased air defense system, which protects against drone, missile and aircraft attacks, costs about $406 million and brings Canada’s contribution to Ukraine to more than $1 billion since the start of the war.
The White House said in a statement that the leaders also discussed “the generational opportunity to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals, electric vehicles, and semiconductors.”
The U.S. administration also announced that Biden will make his first visit to Canada as president in March.
Biden and Lopez Obrador haven’t been on particularly good terms for the past two years. The Mexican leader made no secret of his admiration for Trump.