Justin Trudeau Says Trump's Tweets Are 'Worthy Of Noting,' But He Does Not Stay Up To Read Them

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said President Donald Trump's Twitter habits present a "new wrinkle in international diplomacy." He made the remark during an open forum conducted by the New York Times and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto with New York Times Toronto Bureau Chief Catherine Porter and White House correspondent Peter Baker.

"I think modern means of communications have led to adjustments in how we function in a large way. There's no question that the way the president chooses to speak directly to people through social media is a new wrinkle in international diplomacy," Trudeau said.

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While the Canadian prime minister said he did not stay up late to read Trump’s tweets, he acknowledged the president’s posts were important and carried a lot of weight. "Anything that the president of the United States says in any forum is worthy of noting, of placing into context. I understand the power of a genuine, authentic voice, where people in this society appreciate being able to directly hear and see and learn what someone thinks in a less filtered way," he asserted.

Trudeau said he preferred reading Trump's tweets during his morning briefings instead of waking up to them at night. The Canadian prime minister praised the U.S. president for his ability to listen and said Trump is not like those politicians who have a "deep-vested interest in being right all the time."

"One of the things that I've learned is he actually does listen," Trudeau said. "There's a lot of politicians who have a deep-vested interest in being right all the time, and therefore close themselves off sometimes to facts or evidence or differing opinions."

"What I've found from this president is he will listen to arguments made, he will look at the ensemble of facts, of proposals, of impacts you put together, and he will be open to shifting his position," he said, adding: "That's something we can definitely work with."

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During the event, Trudeau spoke about a wide range of issues, including the Canadian steel exports, NAFTA, and free-trade talks with the U.S. He also remarked on the possibility of a Russian hack into a Canadian election. "We take very seriously what has been obviously a pattern of disruption by cyber actors — including Russian cyber actors — of democratic processes," Trudeau said.

Referring to the U.S. investigation into the Canadian steel exports, Trudeau said, “I made this point directly to the President [Trump] that Canada has no business being on a list of possible national security concerns and I am confident we’re moving in the right direction on that." The ongoing investigation into the Canadian steel exports is exploring whether foreign-made steel imports pose a threat to American defense forces.

"Canada is far more important to the United States than the United States realizes," he said, adding the two countries are expected to prepare for free-trade talks in August.

"NAFTA will remain a hugely important and successful trade deal for both of our countries," he added. Trudeau spoke about his productive relationship with the U.S. president and refuted the perception among the public that the president does not listen to his opponent's views.

After taking the president's office in January, Trump tweeted about Canada exactly four times, which includes a tweet about his meeting with the Canadian prime minister on Feb.13. His second tweet, posted in March, mentioned Canada while recommending a book.

In the third tweet posted in April, Trump attacked Canada for its low pricing of dairy products due to which the farmers living along the U.S.-Canada border faced a lot of hardships. Trump's tweet came after he bashed NAFTA and said Canada’s low pricing was responsible for taking away business from the U.S. He later retracted his statement saying he recieved calls from the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada asking to renegotiate NAFTA.