Biden holds first bilateral meeting with Canadian prime minister
Biden held his first bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday afternoon, immediately telling Trudeau that he wishes the meeting could have been held in person.
“I wish I could reciprocate the hospitality you gave me when I visited Ottawa as vice president in 2016. The sooner we get this pandemic under control, the better, and I look forward to seeing you in person in the future,” Biden said, seated at the head of the table between American and Canadian flags.
![PHOTO: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets virtually with President Joe Biden, from his office on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, Feb. 23, 2021.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/trudeau-biden-ap-jef-210223_1614118721744_hpEmbed_20x13_992.jpg)
Biden reiterated the close relationship, saying there is “no closer friend” for the U.S. than Canada.
In his brief remarks, Biden spoke about their discussion at the G-7 virtual meeting Friday, recalling his message about democracy and the need to protect and prioritize it, a veiled swipe at his predecessor.
Trudeau welcomed the U.S. back to the world stage, saying the country’s leadership has been “sorely missed” and threw his own veiled swipe at the Trump administration over the repeated times it removed references to climate change from joint statements.
Seated at the table with Biden were Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
In her remarks, Harris brought up the time she spent living in Canada as a teenager while her mother taught at McGill University in Montreal. She said she looks forward to working on shared challenges, including COVID-19, climate change, and Russia and China.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland took a moment to address Harris’ historic role as a “Madam Vice President.”
“I have to tell you, your election has been such an inspiration for women and girls across Canada, especially Black women and girls, and South Asian women and girls. So many of them have told me that directly,” Freeland told Harris.
As the press was being sent out of the room, Biden said that he took five years of French in school, but did not retain any of it, saying when he attempted to speak it he’d “make such a fool of himself.”
-ABC News' Molly Nagle