Former US President Donald Trump has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of leveraging the ongoing tariff dispute with the United States to strengthen his bid for re-election, despite what he described as Trudeau’s ‘terrible job’ leading Canada. 

“Believe it or not, despite the terrible job he’s done for Canada, I think that Justin Trudeau is using the Tariff problem, which he has largely caused, in order to run again for Prime Minister. So much fun to watch!” Trump stated in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday. 

Trump’s remarks come amid a shift in US trade policy, with his administration pausing tariff hikes on imports from Mexico and delaying certain tariffs on Canadian goods. In response, Ottawa has also suspended several countermeasures. 

The trade tensions escalated after the US imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports, accusing Trudeau of failing to curb the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the country. Canada retaliated with equivalent tariffs on US imports. 

Trump also claimed that Trudeau had personally called him to discuss the tariff situation. “Justin Trudeau, of Canada, called me to ask what could be done about Tariffs. I told him that many people have died from Fentanyl that came through the Borders of Canada and Mexico, and nothing has convinced me that it has stopped,” he said. According to Trump, the conversation ended in a “somewhat” friendly manner, but he found it unusual that Trudeau “was unable” to confirm the date of Canada’s next election. 

“For anyone who is interested, I also told Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada that he largely caused the problems we have with them because of his Weak Border Policies, which allowed tremendous amounts of Fentanyl, and Illegal Aliens, to pour into the United States. These Policies are responsible for the death of many people!” Trump added. 

The remarks are the latest in a series of sharp exchanges between the two leaders, highlighting ongoing tensions over trade and border security. 

(With ANI inputs)