As the U.S. election nears, political commentators and media outlets have focused intently on the remaining presidential candidates, including Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. However, there is one person who has noticeably refrained from talking about the real estate billionaire: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau has frequently been asked about the controversial candidate during his many trips south of the border. In particular, he’s often asked to comment on how he might work alongside a possible Trump presidency, when many of Trump’s policies – such as building a wall along the Mexican border and barring Muslims from entering the country – run counter to Trudeau’s stances.
The prime minister has consistently taken a diplomatic approach when asked to comment on the campaign, opting instead to talk about the fear and frustration that Americans appear to be feeling, that's fuelling the political climate in the U.S. Also notable is the fact that Trudeau rarely mentions Trump's name when he’s asked for comment.
Here's a look at how Trudeau has responded to questions about Trump and the U.S. election:
At the end of Q&A session at the United States Chamber of Commerce in March, Trudeau was asked to comment on the U.S. election campaign.
"I have great faith in the American people and look forward to working with whoever gets elected in November," he said, as the crowd erupted into laughter.
"Like I said, I have tremendous confidence in what Abraham Lincoln referred to as 'the better angels of our nature,'" he said, noting that the relationship between the U.S. and Canada "goes far beyond any two personalities or individuals."
This quote, paraphrased from former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, is one Trudeau has used on multiple occasions to step gingerly around the topic.
Earlier in March, he used similar words during a news conference at the United Nations in New York.
"On the question of the U.S. elections, I have tremendous faith in the better angels of Americans' nature," he said.
He noted during that same trip that his government was able to implement progressive policies, such as appointing a gender-balanced cabinet and resettling Syrian refugees, because Canadians opted for a "more open, fair, positive way of doing politics." He then added, "That is certainly something that I hope resonates through political systems around the world."
The question came up yet again during an interview with Bloomberg, when he was pointedly asked how he would work alongside Trump, should he be elected.
"The fact is, the incredibly unique relationship and close friendship between Canada and the United States goes beyond any one or two individuals, between any ideologies," Trudeau said.
When pressed to explain what possible common ground he could have with Trump, Trudeau replied: "A desire for citizens in our countries to have better jobs and greater opportunities."
After a speech at the American University in Washington, D.C., Trudeau was asked how he would deal with an influx of Americans who are threatening to move to Canada should Trump be elected president.
Trudeau laughed off the question, noting that every election season in the U.S. there are many Americans who swear they'll move to Canada if the candidate they prefer doesn't win.
"If over the past decades that had been the case, we'd have more people in Canada than in the United States right now," he said.
"It becomes an easy thing to cry out. Every year there are Canadians who move to the United States, every year there are Americans who move to Canada. That's just the nature of our friendship and relationship, and to link it too much to politics is… humorous."
Several former Canadian ambassadors to the U.S. have publicly advised Trudeau not to comment on the U.S. presidential race in specific, warning that it would be a mistake to chime in during a heated campaign. A source told The Canadian Press in March that the prime minister has no plans to publicly speak out about the election for the time being.
As for Trump, the bombastic candidate who appears to never shy away from giving his opinion on any given topic has been relatively quiet on Trudeau and Canada.
Last November, he did weigh in briefly on Trudeau's policy of appointing a gender-balanced cabinet, noting that he would not make a similar pledge, if elected president.
"I'm not one that has to make a pledge," Trump told MSNBC. "I wouldn't want that, because I will tell you: I want the best person at each position … I'm going to get the best people for the job."
And, during a televised debate in February, Trump shut down a reporter’s question on why he wouldn’t consider building a wall along the Canada-U.S. border, despite his proposed plan to build one along the Mexican border (and get Mexico to foot the bill).
"We have far less problems with that border than we do with our southern border," he said, also noting the length of the Canada-U.S. border.
"It would be very, very hard to do, and it is not our biggest problem. I don't care what anyone says. It is not our big problem."
With files from The Canadian Press
