Canadian-born investor and Shark Tank reality TV star Kevin O’Leary was asked on Fox News to comment on President-elect Donald Trump‘s threat to charge a 25% tariff on all goods coming into America from its fellow North American countries, Mexico and Canada.
.@kevinolearytv joins guest host @SandraSmithFox to discuss world leaders responding to Trump's tariff threats pic.twitter.com/Bzb5bd65Ep
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) December 3, 2024
The Trump-supporting businessman shared his opinion saying “the complexity in the Canadian situation is this: Justin Trudeau is wildly unpopular in Canada. He’s been there a long time in the Parliamentary system and just like in Britain, if you have a prime minister that can’t deliver a majority mandate, it’s like a piece of old, moldy cheese in the fridge. You want to get rid of it.”
O’Leary added: “And that’s going on in his own party.”
[Note: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, recently said he “utterly rejects” a trade ultimatum presented by Trump’s economic advisor Stephen Moore to essentially choose between the U.S. and the European Union.]
O’Leary also predicted that Trudeau will be “thrown out” early next year “so it won’t be Trudeau negotiating with Trump when he’s finally in power.” (The 2025 Canadian federal election is planned for October 20, 2025, but can be called earlier if the House of Commons passes a motion of no confidence in the government.)
The Shark Tank investor added, “So this is a lot of showboating right now,” and noted with awe that Trump doesn’t even have to leave his home in Florida to meet with other world leaders: “He’s got leaders flying to Mar-a-Lago, he doesn’t even have to go anywhere.”
Note: O’Leary is unambiguously correct that the re-elected Trump has the drawing power to bring other world leaders to him as he plans his presidential transition. In an interesting and unprecedented situation, because convicted felons are considered “inadmissible” under Canada’s immigration law, Trump, who was found guilty of 34 felony counts earlier this year, technically couldn’t visit Trudeau were he so inclined, as he would need to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) or Criminal Rehabilitation (CR), in order to enter Canada. An exception, surely, would be made.
