Canada’s outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that President-elect Trump’s suggestion that Canada become America’s “51st state” was a distraction from the tariff threat. 

“I know that as a successful negotiator, he likes to keep people a little off balance. The 51st state, that’s not going to happen,” Trudeau told MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sunday. “It’s just a non-starter. Canadians are incredibly proud of being Canadian. But people are now talking about that, as opposed to talking about what impact 25% tariffs [has] on steel and aluminum coming into the United States, on energy, whether it’s oil and gas or electricity.”

“No American wants to pay 25% more for electricity or oil and gas coming in from Canada,” Trudeau said in the interview with Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary. “That’s something I think people need to pay a little more attention to. And perhaps the idea of a 51st state is distracting a little bit from a very real question that will increase the cost of living for Americans and harm a trading relationship that works extremely well.”

Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports. The president-elect also said that if Canada merged with the U.S., taxes would decrease and there would be no tariffs. 

The president-elect has also taken shots at Trudeau, referring to him as the “governor” of Canada. Last Monday, Trudeau announced that he would resign as Canada’s prime minister once his Liberal Party chooses a new leader on March 9. 

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“From my very first conversations with him back in 2016, he told me how much he admires Canada, how much he appreciates and likes us, so there is a certain amount of flattery in this that he thinks that we are as great as we are,” Trudeau said of Trump on Sunday. “He’s right, we are great. We’re also very, very proud of being Canadian. If you talk to any Canadian, you ask them to define what it is to be Canadian, they’ll talk about all sorts of different things, but one of the things we will point out is, ‘and we’re not Americans.’” 

On Trudeau’s trip to Mar-a-Lago in November, the Canadian prime minister said the topic of the U.S. annexing Canada did come up, but Trudeau said once he joked that Canada could annex Vermont or California as a sort of trade, Trump “immediately decided it was not that funny anymore, and we moved on to a different conversation.” 

“This isn’t out of the blue that he’s doing this, but my focus has to be not on something that he’s talking about that will not ever happen, but more on something that might well happen, that if he does choose to go forward with tariffs that raise the costs of just about everything for American citizens, that on top of that, we’re going to have a robust response to that,” Trudeau said. 

“We are ready to respond with tariffs as necessary,” Trudeau said. 

Canadian officials say that if Trump follows through with his threat of punishing tariffs, Canada would consider slapping retaliatory tariffs on American orange juice, toilets and some steel products. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves his hotel as he heads to meet President-elect Donald Trump, in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 29, 2024.  (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

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Trudeau recalled that Trump previously put tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum during his first term, and Canada responded by putting tariffs on bourbon, Harley Davidson motorcycles, orange juice, playing cards and other such items that Trudeau argued Canadians could easily find replacements for. 

“It ended up causing a lot of loss in American businesses for whom Canada is their number one export partner. We are the number one export partner for about 35 different U.S. states, and anything that thickens the border between us ends up costing American citizens and American jobs. That’s not what President Trump got elected to do,” Trudeau said. “I know he got elected to try and make life easier for all Americans, to support American workers. These are things that are going to hurt them.” 

Justin Trudeau during the funeral service of late former President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump said last week that the U.S. does not need oil – or anything else – from Canada, but almost a quarter of the oil that the U.S. consumes each day comes from Canada. The energy-rich western province of Alberta exports 4.3 million barrels of oil a day to the U.S., according to the Associated Press. Data from the United States Energy Information Administration shows that the U.S. consumes 20 million barrels a day, and produces about 13.2 million barrels a day.

Canada, a founding partner of NATO and home to more than 40 million people, is also the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $2.7 billion worth of goods and services cross the border each day.

Trump has said that he would reconsider his tariff threat if Canada made improvements in managing security at the Canada-U.S. border, which he and his advisers see as a potential entry point for illegal immigrants.

Trudeau has said that less than 1% of illegal immigrants and fentanyl cross into the U.S. from Canada.

Nevertheless, after his meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Trudeau announced an increase in spending on border security, expressing willingness to address Trump’s concerns in hopes that he would reconsider his tariff threat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The granite steps leading up to the old federal courthouse in downtown L.A. are sturdy and regal. But something disturbing dotted them Friday that I never would have expected:

Ash.

The Eaton fire 15 miles to the northeast was still raging. Downtown was eerily empty. The lunchtime sun was bright, tinting everything in a sickly golden tone.

I was there to interview U.S. Atty. E. Martin Estrada, who is expected to announce Monday that he will step down Friday as head of the Central District of California, which prosecutes federal crimes in coastal counties from San Luis Obispo to Orange.

He was supposed to make his plans public early last week. But he delayed as the most destructive wildfires in L.A. history put a sad coda on his 2½ years as Southern California’s top federal prosecutor.

Members of his team have lost homes in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. More had to evacuate. Drones messing with firefighting efforts — a federal crime — meant his prosecutors were ready to press charges if necessary. Scammers were already preying on victims — crimes that Estrada’s office prosecuted in the wake of the 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting and other local tragedies.

“If I had my druthers, I wouldn’t be leaving, especially at a time of crisis,” Estrada said from a large table at his 12th-story office. Two computer screens at a stand-up desk behind him glowed. “I don’t like leaving things undone. But I don’t really have my choice here, so I got to go.”

Even if he doesn’t resign from a job he described as a “labor of love,” his days are numbered, with Donald Trump soon assuming the presidency.

It’s customary for U.S. attorneys to tender their resignations when a new president enters office. They know the incoming commander in chief usually wants a fresh start and prefers to appoint people from his own crew. That’s why Estrada wanted to talk to me.

A Democrat and the first U.S. attorney of Guatemalan heritage, he has emphasized diversity in his office and profession and made it a point to speak in both English and Spanish during news conferences. He was the type of U.S. attorney who invited civil rights icon Dolores Huerta to speak to his team — she led them in cries of “¡Sí se puede!” — and regularly spoke to inner-city kids about the importance of people like them in positions such as his.

That mentality is anathema to the incoming Trump administration, and Estrada acknowledged that politics in Washington are more “partisan” that ever.

“There’s so much fear in the community, concern about this next administration — what may happen, what may not happen,” said the son of Guatemalan immigrants. “But it’s important for people to know that this good work will continue.”

Estrada sounded earnest, even mawkish, befitting his trim frame and boyish looks. I also know to not underestimate his insight. This is the person, after all, whose record against criminals of all stripes speaks for itself. His prosecutors won a conviction against L.A. political powerhouse Mark Ridley-Thomas on corruption charges (Ridley-Thomas is appealing) and got guilty pleas from former L.A. Councilmember Jose Huizar and former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do. Estrada praised his team for going after white supremacist gangs, fentanyl dealers, environmental polluters and other miscreants while favoring no party and no ideology.

“So I really think the work will continue, because we’ve done it and shot right down the middle,” he said.

Would the 47-year-old stay in his role if Trump asked him to?

“Yes, I would,” he responded without hesitation. “But it’s clear, based on where the politics are in D.C., that it’s not in the cards.”

Does that upset him?

“I went through different administrations, Republican and Democrat,” Estrada said. “I see what people go through. So I truly believe that the culture here is one of doing the right thing for the right reasons. My hope is that the new administration looks at what’s been going on, sees the work that’s been done and says, ‘I agree, we got to support this.’”

Any advice for his successor?

“See the work that’s been done, listen to the community and see the needs this community has. And I think that will lead you to a similar path to what I have done.”

After a few weeks off to indulge in his passions of running and cycling, Estrada plans to return to private practice, where he worked for eight years before President Biden appointed him in 2022. Before that, he was a prosecutor in the office he now leads. Going forward, he wants to focus on civil rights cases because “it’s in my blood — like, I can’t not do that.”

For now, there’s one last week of work. He teased a “big announcement” on a case that he declined to elaborate on, save for a smile.

“My philosophy has always been like running,” Estrada said. “I’ve always been a racer. Finish to the tape.”

He glanced at public affairs officer Ciaran McEvoy, who had silently looked on throughout our half-hour conversation.

“They’re going to be happy to see me go,” he said of his staff. “I was like the Energizer Bunny.”

He and McEvoy have known each other since the fourth grade at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Costa Mesa.

“No one would ever accuse Martin of laziness,” McEvoy deadpanned, drawing a chuckle from his boss.

“We accomplished a lot,” Estrada replied. “I’d like to be there to help continue to develop some of the more junior lawyers and make sure they get on the right path. But I’m confident they’ll get there.”

U.S. Atty. E. Martin Estrada prepares to announce criminal charges against Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles in 2024.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

I looked at all the mementos that hadn’t been put in boxes yet and asked which would best exemplify his time as U.S. attorney. He pointed to a trio of photos of him with Huerta, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Biden.

Estrada eventually focused on a framed letter from students at Utah Street Span School in Boyle Heights, which he’s visited for years. It featured their signatures, a smiling flower and a note of thanks and congratulations.

“That’s what matters to me — not just my personal legacy, not just what people write about me, but having a real impact in people’s lives,” he said. “I truly believe the work in this office has an impact on people’s lives.”

He brought up the Conception case. In 2019, a dive boat caught fire off Santa Cruz Island, killing 34 people in the deadliest maritime disaster in modern California history. In 2023, federal prosecutors won a conviction from a federal jury, which found boat captain Jerry Boylan guilty of gross negligence. A judge sentenced Boylan to four years in prison (he remains free on appeal).

Estrada met with the family members of the victims “over half a dozen times” and particularly remembers a mother who spoke only Spanish.

“I talked to her about the loss of her daughter so many times,” he said. “I looked to hire people who reflect the diversity of this area. And that is the kind of impact that I hope will last for many years.”

We shook hands. The sky outside seemed even smokier than before. Estrada brought up the wildfires again and how they’re coloring his last weeks in a way that makes him proud of the people he’s worked with and will leave behind.

“They’ve have really come together. They’ve told their affected colleagues, ‘Come stay with me’ or ‘What do you need?’ It’s a reminder: Our folks are not moguls,” he said. “They’re community members, like the people they serve. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Southern California’s U.S. attorney for the next five days excused himself and went back to work at his stand-up desk.