Watch Trudeau speak directly to Trump during blistering speech

We have some breaking news coming in. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking right now after the U. S.

left Canada with 25% tariffs. Let's listen. So today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada.

Their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they're talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense.

Canadians are reasonable and we are polite. But we will not back down from a fight, not win our country and the wellbeing of everyone in it is at stake at the moment. The U.

S. tariffs came into effect in the early hours of this morning, and so did the Canadian response. Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods, starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion of American products in 21 days time.

Should these tariffs not cease? We are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures, measures which will demonstrate that there are no winners in a trade war. Now, just like I did a month ago, I want to speak first directly to the American people.

We don't want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally, and we don't want to see you hurt either. But your government has chosen to do this to you.

As of this morning, markets are down and inflation is set to rise dramatically. All across your country, your government has chosen to put American jobs at risk at the thousands of workplaces that succeed because of materials from Canada, or because of consumers in Canada, or both. They've chosen to raise costs for American consumers on everyday essential items like groceries and gas, on major purchases like cars and homes and everything in between.

They've chosen to harm American national security, impeding access to the abundant critical minerals, energy, building materials and fertilizers that we have and that the United States needs to grow and prosper. They've chosen to launch a trade war that will, first and foremost, harm American families. They've chosen to sabotage their own agenda that was supposed to usher in a new golden age for the United States, and they've chosen to undermine the incredible work we've done together to tackle the scourge that is fentanyl, a drug that must be wiped from the face of the Earth.

So on that point, let me be crystal clear. There is absolutely no justification or need whatsoever for these tariffs today. Now, the legal pretext your government is using to bring in these tariffs is that Canada is apparently unwilling to help in the fight against illegal fentanyl.

Well, that is totally false. Let's look at the facts. Our border is already safe and secure.

Far less than 1% of fentanyl flows and less than 1% of illegal crossings into the United States comes from Canada. But we acted because we know we can always do better. We responded to concerns, including from the president, by implementing an ambitious $1.

3 billion border plan, a border plan that includes generational investments in new AI and imaging tools to stop the flow of fentanyl in its tracks. Stronger coordination and information sharing with American agencies, along with the deployment of drones, helicopters and additional personnel to keep our border secure. Now, a month ago, as part of an agreement with the United States that paused the tariffs, we made further commitments.

We appointed Kevin Brosseau as our fentanyl czar, a man who dedicated his multi-decade career in law enforcement to combating organized crime networks and drug trafficking. We designated seven drug cartels, sick evil groups who cynically profit off the pain and suffering of people on both sides of the border. As the terrorist organizations that they are.

And just yesterday, we launched a new joint operations partnership, supported by a $200 million investment between Canada's security and law enforcement agencies, a partnership that will enhance the coordination of information and intelligence in order to thwart criminal gangs involved in the illegal fentanyl trade. And critically, our actions are working as the U. S.

states. As the U. S.

Customs and Border Protection just acknowledged, there was a 97% drop in fentanyl seizures from January compared to December, to a near zero low of less than half an ounce seized in January. Even with all the further enforcements and actions we've taken at the border in some, we stepped up. We engaged closely and constructively with the president and his administration.

We did everything we promised. We stuck to our word. And we did it because we believe in working together to protect our citizens.

Now, I want to speak directly to one specific American, Donald. In the over eight years, you and I have worked together. We've done big things.

We signed a historic deal that has created record jobs and growth in both of our countries. We've done big things together on the world stage, as Canada and the U. S.

have done together for decades. For generations. And now we should be working together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world.

Now, it's not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal. But Donald, they point out that even though you're a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do. We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see.

And now, to my fellow Canadians, I won't sugarcoat it. This is going to be tough, even though we're all going to pull together, because that's what we do. We will use every tool at our disposal.

So Canadian workers and businesses can weather this storm from expanding E. I. benefits and making them more flexible to providing direct supports to businesses.

We will be there as needed to help. But Canada, make no mistake, no matter how long this lasts, no matter what the cost, the federal government and other orders of government will be there for you. We will defend Canadian jobs.

We will take measures to prevent predatory behavior that threatens Canadian companies because of the impacts of this trade war, leaving them open to takeovers. We will relentlessly fight to protect our economy. We will stand up for Canadians.

Every single second of every single day, because this country is worth fighting for. While the Prime Minister is speaking in French, I want to bring in CNN's Paula Newton. She's joining us from Ottawa, CNN white House reporter Elena Treen.

Paula, I've covered U. S. Canadian relations for many, many years.

I grew up in Buffalo, New York, right on the border with Canada. Our family used to go to Canada, to Ontario, Crystal beach every summer. We had a home there.

So I spent a lot of time growing up effectively in Canada. I have never seen this U. S.

Canadian relationship deteriorate as seriously as it has right now. The Prime Minister of Canada saying the U. S.

has declared a trade war against Canada. Have you ever seen this U. S.

Canadian relationship as as bad as it is right now? Absolutely not. Wolf, and I echo, you know, your thoughts in my entire lifetime, Wolf, in terms of what you speak in that that very close friendship between Americans and Canadians.

I have never seen anti-Americanism reach this height in my entire lifetime. And I want to note, Wolf, that that was the prime minister, the man who will not be prime minister much longer, probably a matter of days. And it was really Justin Trudeau unplugged saying to that, saying that he could speak to the American people themselves in a blunt, forceful way because he doesn't have anything to lose now politically.

And I do note that he basically said Donald, addressing him directly, you are a smart man. But echoing the words of the Wall Street Journal, this is a dumb thing to do. He also made it clear, though, to Canadians, Wolf, that look, he's not going to sugarcoat it.

And this will be tough. Wolf, what's interesting here is that so many people across Canada are echoing what the Prime Minister has said. We have had leaders of provinces who said say that they are actually breaking up with America.

And make no mistake here, Wolf, this will hurt Canadians. This will really bite. But it will also hurt many Americans as well in terms of what happens going forward, Wolf, this is escalation.

And Justin Trudeau is putting the United States on notice that there will be escalation. Key, though he did speak to those strategic industries. When we talk about critical minerals, we've heard so much about how many Ukraine has.

Canada arguably has some of the largest deposits of critical minerals in the world. They were willing to certainly open themselves up to even American companies that wanted to come in and try and exploit that and try and clear some of the regulatory hurdles. It's clear the Trump administration was not interested.

Wolf, this is a decoupling not just from Canada, but certainly many, many Western allies and Europe right now have also been put on notice about tariffs in April are taking note what happens next. We continue to see the fallout. We do hear that more measures, including what we've discussed weeks ago about things like U.

S. alcohol coming right off the shelves in Canada. That's just one example of something that will hit Republican states like Kentucky, that will not be able to sell much of their bourbon into the into Canada at all.

But there is so much more here at stake. Key is energy, both oil, but also natural gas and also electricity. And Canada on the table right now has the threat of putting an export tariff on that which will instantly make power.

Hold on for a moment, because the Prime Minister has started taking some questions from reporters. He's speaking about Vice President Pence right now. Excuse me, Vice President Vance, right now.

I want to listen very clearly that in terms of taking action on fentanyl, we are doing everything that is necessary and not just for the United States, for ourselves as well as Canadians are suffering as well from the scourge that is illegal fentanyl. we have laid out extensive plans, actions, cooperations, including as recently as the past days in Washington, and they have always been very well received. And the numbers bear that out.

I think in what President Trump said yesterday, that there is nothing Canada or Mexico can do to avoid these tariffs, underlines very clearly what I think a lot of us have suspected for a long time that these tariffs are not specifically about fentanyl, even though that is the legal justification he must use to actually move forward with these tariffs. The United States has announced its suspending the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau of Canada, and saying that basically this idea that the reason for these tariffs is because of fentanyl is a false pretext. And he talks about all the things that Canada has done to crack down in that.

less than 1% of fentanyl that was seized at the U. S. border was from Canada.

Elena, it struck me. You're at the white House, and I'm wondering, he talked about how he he hasn't talked to Trump yet. He hopes to.

He called him. He tried to appeal to him directly. Shame Donald.

And he said, you know, you're a smart man, but this is dumb. Saying that he agreed it agreed with the Wall Street Journal. is there any reaction from the white House?

Alina? from the moment that we've heard him say that. Not yet.

That I've heard. Paula. But look, this is something.

Or. Pamela. Excuse me.

This is something that I think is definitely going to receive a reaction from the president and the white House. This is some of the strongest language we have heard yet, from the Prime minister. A couple of things are really struck out to me.

stuck out to me from what he has said. He said that they have stepped up, that they have been engaging repeatedly in conversations just recently, in the last couple of days with the Trump administration, that they are doing everything that they can. as you mentioned, I think the point where he was addressing Donald, he was dressed in the president directly by name, using that harsh language, going on to say, you know, we've worked together, we've had a relationship for several years.

We've done big things together. We should be working together now. All things that we have heard him say and maybe more nicer or friendlier terms before.

But now you're hearing a very direct, harsh language from the Prime Minister. Look, I mean, from what the president said yesterday and what has been, kind of clear, as he said yesterday, that he doesn't believe there's any more room to negotiate when it comes to what Canada and Mexico are doing. He has said very clearly that he believes they aren't doing enough on fentanyl.

You heard the Prime minister argue that he doesn't believe that's actually what these tariffs are about. And then today you've heard a lot of Donald Trump's cabinet members, people like, Howard, the commerce secretary, you've heard, Peter Navarro, the a key trade adviser to the president, argue that if they do see some real changes in stemming the flow of migrants and fentanyl from coming over the border, that perhaps these tariffs will be called off. but clearly this is a huge deterioration with allies that we have had.

And one thing, of course, I think the real change that we could see is in the reaction that the president, the white House, has to how the United States economy is being impacted already over the last couple of days. For the last two days, we've seen the stock market drop some 1300 points. We're seeing different companies like target saying prices are going to increase.

That is something as well that will ignite some sort of reaction from this white House. Yeah we see the Dow Jones Industrials down now. just today 788 points at least so far.

Now 790 points. we heard the Prime Minister Elena, cite, the Wall Street Journal editorial of today's The Wall Street Journal, usually a conservative editorial page. The headline is Trump takes the Dumbest Tariff Plunge, and it writes this.

We've courted Mr Trump's ire by calling the Mexico and Canada levies the dumbest in history. And we may have understated the point. Mr Trump is whacking friends, not adversaries.

And, you know, it's interesting because this U. S. Canada relationship, which has always been so strong, so powerful, has now deteriorated to where this is going on.

It's stunning. And he he talked about the fact that this is exactly what our adversaries want to see, this deterioration of an alliance that has so much history. Wolf, I want to bring in retired U.

S. Army general, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark. He's joining us right now.

General Clark, thanks so much for joining us. Let me first of all, get your reaction to Prime Minister Trudeau's condemnation of what the Trump administration is doing here. Well, I think he's exactly right when he says that it's not about fentanyl.

what is it about? What is it about when you want to cover the relationship with your closest ally, you know, you're worried about, Chinese and Russian ships in the Arctic, and so we're going to have a breach of our work with Canada. It doesn't make sense.

and so when you try to understand this doesn't make economic sense, doesn't make strategic sense, is just a break in the way that the U. S. operates.

And yes, the market's going down, Wolf, because when you look at something like this, it's not just about the tariffs. It's about the credibility of the United States. It's about the trustworthiness of the president.

It's about what kind of leadership he brings to the United States. there were issues in the election. People knew this of people were concerned about the economy.

Let's look at the economy. but I'm concerned about what's happening in global affairs and U. S.

security. And when I see what's being done to Canada, our nation has always been our ally. When I was NATO commander, I couldn't have gotten any stronger support from any nation than I did from Canada, as strong as the support I had from the United States.

And yet, here we are, isolating, Canada and isolating the United States, really, from our nearest neighbors. It's a real threat to U. S.

security. It's not about fentanyl. It's how to keep America safe.

And this isn't the way to do it. It's hard to believe that this is going on. General Clark of the Wall Street Journal in that editorial today, Trump takes the dumbest tariff plunge.

He asked, they also write this Mr Trump is whacking friends, not adversaries. You agree with that? I do, I do.

And, you know, well, if I was talking to some other analysts this morning, some very smart people on the inside, I think some people working in the administration really understand that, President Trump's being played by Mr Putin. But I don't know if President Trump really understands that after smashing our relationship with allies. And I'm sure this will make President Putin really happy, do after doing this and enticing Putin to come to the table.

What are we going to say to him? He's going to ask for more and more and more. What's it really about?

And so, I look at this as a severe departure from, normal pattern of United States national security processes. We're bipartisan, we're nonpartisan and national security. And, President Trump has come in here and wants to turn the table upside down.

He wants to somehow, cozy up to Mr Putin and, disregard and insult and separate the United States from our allies. This is not going to end well. Yeah, it's a pretty, very, very serious situation unfolding right now.

U. S. credibility with allies on the line right now.

General Wesley Clark, thank you very, very much. And.