TRUDEAU IN WINTER — Justin Trudeau could have picked a more hospitable venue to end the speculation on his political future than the outdoor podium perched on a frigid January morning at the entrance of his official residence. It was a familiar setting to Canadians, a place where the 53-year-old prime minister once enjoyed something now long gone — popularity and respect. Trudeau held some 80-plus televised press conferences during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It was there that Canadians watched his beard and hair grow, as he walked out of his home day after day to answer questions and periodically offer reassurance, sometimes directly to locked down children. It was where he became a figurative 21st century wartime leader, steering his country’s counter offensive against the once-in-a-century global pandemic. Today, it was where he presented himself as a defeated politician — a fighter who still had a few rounds left in him, but instead was vanquished by economics and post-pandemic fatigue and anger. Trudeau’s departure leaves a gaping hole for the country he served at a perilous moment. Donald Trump’s return to the White House in two weeks has already injected an existential angst across Canada. Trump’s threats to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports to the U.S. — something he said he could do on his first day in office on Jan. 20 — forced Trudeau himself down to Mar-a-Lago for an audience with Trump in late November. His attempt to break bread over dinner with the president-elect earned Trudeau social media ridicule from Trump, social media hazing that branded him “Governor Trudeau” and repeated musings about Canada becoming a 51st state, a mantra Trump rolled out again today. Less than two hours after Trudeau’s announcement, Trump weighed in on Truth Social , repeating his internet trolling. “Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State,” Trump wrote. “The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned. If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!” Earlier in the day, Trudeau explained he would step aside because of the divisiveness and polarization around his leadership — including inside his own caucus. That means a new Liberal Party leader will take on Pierre Poilievre, Canada’s Conservative Party leader, who has been hammering Trudeau and the Liberals in the polls for more than a year. It’s a bitter reality Trudeau publicly acknowledged today. “This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” Trudeau said. That left Ontario Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford to fill the widening federal communications void to deal with Trump’s latest social media post. “To the president, I’ll make him a counteroffer. How about if we buy Alaska and we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis? … I know he likes making these comments, and he likes joking around. I take that seriously. He may be joking. But under my watch, that will never, ever happen.” Ford may be the leader of Canada’s largest province, the one that exports electricity to 1.5 million Americans, but he is the equivalent of a Canadian governor. All of which continues to beg the question: who speaks for Canada? Louise Blais, who served as Canada’s deputy UN ambassador under Trudeau, is concerned Canada will not have a fully functioning government for many months. “What we are about to face is not just tariffs but also an aggressive economic agenda south of the border that will have far-reaching impacts on Canada’s competitiveness,” Blais told POLITICO today. “Today we only focus on the tariff threat, when additionally, the incoming administration and Congress are planning much more than that.” Trudeau managed to buy a sizable amount of time to enable his teetering minority government some space to achieve that crucial next step — he said the governor general, who is charged with administering constitutional and ceremonial duties, granted his request to shut down Parliament until March 24. That means no opportunity to defeat the minority government until then. He said he plans to step down as prime minister and as Liberal leader after his party has chosen his successor. But there is plenty to do in between. That includes deciding who attends Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington. Trudeau’s office had no answer to that question late this afternoon. The more important questions had already been answered — Trudeau lost control of his party and his hold on power. One of the few things that remained in his grasp was where he chose to say goodbye. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at mblanchfield@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @mblanchfield .
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