Justin Trudeau was mentioned briefly during a U.S. Democratic presidential debate Thursday — or more specifically his hair was.
The Democratic candidates vying for the 2020 race were asked about the U.S. trade relationship with China and whether they would repeal the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Sen. Cory Booker, who represents New Jersey, pointed out that Trump’s direction from trade to climate change is an “America-alone” policy that is “pulling us away from our allies.”
Booker said, “You literally have him using a national security waiver to put tariffs on Canada. I’m the only person on this stage that finds Trudeau’s hair very menacing, but they are not a national security threat. We cannot go up against China alone.”
Booker told the audience in Houston that the strength of the U.S. “is multiplied and magnified when we stand with our allies in common cause and common purpose. That’s how we beat China, that’s how we beat climate change.”
Trudeau’s shout-out in the American debate came on the same night as a Canadian election debate in Toronto, hosted by Maclean’s magazine and Citytv. The Liberal leader declined to attend that event, which featured Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.
In that debate, an empty podium was set up to underscore Trudeau’s absence, yet his name was mentioned 50 times during the 104-minute event.