By Jeff Mason and Kanishka Singh
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) -The White House said on Monday that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced that he will step down in the coming months after nine years in power, has been a “stalwart friend” of the United States.
“Prime Minister Trudeau has been a stalwart friend of the United States during his decade leading the Canadian government, we have worked closely together on the full range of issues,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“The President is grateful for the prime minister’s partnership with all of that and for his commitment to defending North America from the geopolitical threats of the 21st century,” the White House spokesperson added.
Trudeau bowed on Monday to pressure from lawmakers alarmed by his Liberal Party’s miserable showing in pre-election polls.
While Trudeau enjoyed good relations with Democratic President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, his relations with Republican President-elect Donald Trump have at times been tense. Trump has been critical of Trudeau and threatened tariffs against Canada.
During Trudeau’s time in power, Canada renegotiated a trilateral trade deal involving the U.S., Canada and Mexico when Trump was last in office.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason, Kanishka Singh and Costas Pitas; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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