Ford Speaks: Strive for 'Zero Tariffs' with All Efforts! Canada US relations are at a critical moment!
On Wednesday, Ontario Governor Doug Ford concluded a one hour meeting at the White House and walked out through security gates. The progressive Conservative leader refused to disclose who he had met with.
To be frank, I can't disclose it, "Ford said.
Ford only stated that the Trump administration officials he met at the meeting were of "very high rank," but refused to disclose their names. However, shortly after Ford's departure, British Columbia Governor David Eby directly disclosed information: James Blair, Trump's deputy chief of staff, and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, attended the meeting.
Although the governors described the meeting as "constructive," White House officials were quite direct, not only reminding Canadians to "understand what Trump means," but also bluntly stating that "Canada has never promised not to become the 51st state of the United States.
Image source: CTV
Blair posted on social media on Wednesday that his governors had a pleasant meeting, but he also stated that 'we never agreed that Canada would not become the 51st state'.
He didn't hesitate to say, "We believe that the best way to understand President Trump's position is to directly believe what he says
The goal of the trip to Washington is to seek "zero tariffs"
At a press conference earlier that day, when asked about the success criteria for his trip to Washington, Ford set a very high goal: "The standard of success is zero tariffs
Obviously, this goal has not been achieved and is not realistic. But from Ford's perspective, he and at least 12 other Canadian governors successfully conveyed their anti tariff stance to two senior officials of the Trump administration, which can still be considered an achievement.
Ford told reporters outside the White House, "We are grateful to the Trump administration for facilitating this meeting. last-minute last-minute last-minute last-minute meetings are not common
However, Ford did not mention that the Council of the Federation, composed of governors from various provinces and territories in Canada, recently hired a lobbying company closely related to Trump to pay $85000 per month to facilitate this meeting.
If this funding can drive Trump to adjust tariff policies and help save the Canadian economy from recession, then these governors will undoubtedly argue that the taxpayers' money is worth it.
Washington's first event: The audience is almost entirely Canadian
Prior to Wednesday's White House meeting, there were widespread doubts about the actual results of Ford and other governors' visit to the United States.
On Tuesday, Ford attended a speech event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at a hotel in downtown Washington, attracting approximately 150 attendees. However, there was hardly any American in the venue, and the audience was all Canadian businessmen, lobbyists and government officials.
This makes people wonder who Ford is actually conveying the content of his speech to.
We must unite as one, "Ford said to the audience. Please convey this message to President Trump. This is not good for either country
In addition, Ford and other governors also had face-to-face exchanges with several members of the United States Congress, including one Republican senator and seven members of the House of Representatives (four Republicans and three Democrats).
Talking to Trump's' tariff man '
In fact, Ford had already established contacts with key figures in the Trump administration before departing for Washington.
He had a phone conversation with Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary nominated by Trump, who is the most important tariff policy driver of the Trump administration and is known as the "Tariff Man" by the outside world.
Ford's team confirmed that the two parties had recently had a conversation, but refused to provide further details.
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