'It wasn't easy the first time': What Trudeau has said about Trump

While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a measured tone when talking about Donald Trump during his first presidency, the Canadian leader has been a little more direct since. As we head closer to a U.S. election this fall, CTVNews.ca takes a look at everything Trudeau has said publicly about the presumptive Republican nominee.

As we move closer to the U.S. election, CTVNews.ca will be examining the relationship between Canada and the U.S. in a series of features. 

While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a measured tone when talking about Donald Trump during his first presidency, the Canadian leader has been a little more direct since.

"It wasn't easy the first time and if there is a second time, it won't be easy either," Trudeau told the Montreal Chamber of Commerce in January. "There are clearly issues where I do not agree at all with Mr. Trump."

Citing topics like climate change, Trudeau said another Trump presidency would be a "step back" and a win for a type of populism "that reflects a lot of anguish and fury ... without necessarily providing solutions."

There were tense moments between the ideological opposites during Trump's four years in the White House, particularly when Trudeau and other NATO leaders were caught on camera apparently mocking the president, and when Trump slapped hefty tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum in 2018.

"Obviously, Mr. Trump represents a certain amount of unpredictability, but we will make sure we're pulling together and preparing for any eventualities," Trudeau said in January. "We were able to manage Mr. Trump by defending Canadian interests and showing we can create economic growth on both sides of the border."

On the campaign trail, Trump has pitched a new 10 per cent tariff on all imports to the U.S. In the face of potentially more protectionism, Trudeau recently announced a renewed "Team Canada" engagement strategy to push the benefits of continental free trade to stakeholders across the U.S.