Trump's economic adviser Larry Kudlow said during a dinner hosted by the American Spectator magazine that one of his "friends in the White House" had called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a "little punk kid running Canada," The Washington Examiner has reported. The comment came in the context of tough negotiations that the US was having with Canada on a new trade deal aimed at replacing NAFTA.
"A friend of mine in the White House, who will go unnamed, said, 'You know, I know why you're supporting this deal Larry, it's because we made a [new trade] deal. We didn't walk away, we didn't end it, we made a deal. Alright? 'Spite that little punk kid running Canada, we still made it," he reportedly said.
Kudlow hasn't officially confirmed he said the words reported in the media.
In 2018, a trade war erupted after the US imposed 25% and 10% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum respectively, demanding that Ottawa abolish "unfair" tariffs on US goods. President Donald Trump also urged Canada and Mexico to replace the old NAFTA deal with a new trade agreement.
READ MORE: US, Canada Reach NAFTA Deal — Reports
After more than a year of negotiations, the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed on October 1, ending the trade war between Canada and the US. Ottawa praised the deal as "strengthening the middle class" and "creating good, well-paying jobs."