A pair of New Yorkers dropped to their knees in a Manhattan deli Thursday, begging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ditch Canada and run for U.S. president.
Stephen Ward uploaded footage of the moment to Twitter on Thursday. Ward told The Huffington Post Canada he was sitting in Mile End Delicatessen when “these dudes with earpieces and dark suits” came in.
Ward watched Trudeau brush aside the request. In the video, the prime minister says he can’t in light of the “very simple” logic of him not being American-born.
But answer wasn’t satisfactory for the two bros who simultaneously bought up the name of Calgary-born Republican nomination candidate Ted Cruz.
“But all our guys are so bad,” said one man. “Please.”
The second man added that the current roster of GOP hopefuls are “boring, weird” and “you have to settle for them.”
And befalling to the traditional act of true desperation, the two men fell to their knees on either side of the prime minister, clasped their hands, and begged Trudeau to reconsider.
Despite the dramatic appeal, Trudeau politely declined.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I actually have a job and it’s a pretty good one,” he said.
“As I was leaving and told him I’m an Aussie, so we’re both foreigners in New York.”
— Stephen Ward
Ward said “it was pretty funny and Mr. Trudeau handled it brilliantly!” And before he left the deli, he approached the prime minister for a handshake.
“As I was leaving and told him I’m an Aussie, so we’re both foreigners in New York,” he said. The deli, owned by a former Montrealer, catered their signature smoked meat to a Canadian think tank’s Washington, D.C. reception for Trudeau last week.
Earlier in the day, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg praised Trudeau for his “youthful energy and optimism,” likening his political zest and middle-class appeal to John F. Kennedy.
President Barack Obama honoured Trudeau at a star-studded state dinner last Thursday — a first for a sitting prime minister in 19 years — marking a milestone in bilateral relations.
The prime minister returned to the U.S. Wednesday for a two-day visit to New York City to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The promotion of gender equality and the Canadian economy were the two top agenda items for Trudeau’s trip.
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