The Prime Minister of Canada's intention to resign...Trump "No tariffs if merged"

[Anchor]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been criticized for failing to properly deal with Trump's tariff threats, has said he will resign if a successor is chosen.

"If Canada merges with the United States, tariffs will disappear," Trump said, mocking Trudeau.

I'm correspondent Lee Seung-yoon from New York.

[Reporter]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who held the post for more than nine years, announced that he would resign as prime minister.

[Justin Trudeau / Prime Minister of Canada: When the next party leader is elected, he intends to resign as party leader and prime minister.]

Trudeau, who has been threatened with his premiership due to an opposition coalition's distrust of the Cabinet, has been criticized for failing to properly deal with Trump's tariff threats.

[Jagmeet Singh / Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada (opposition): No wonder you're angry. Trudeau is more interested in keeping his seat than the Canadian people in the face of Trump.]

In response, Trump mocked, "Canadians like to be the 51st state of the United States," adding, "If Canada merges with the United States, tariffs will disappear."

Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports, calling for a trade deficit and border security issues to be resolved.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that Trump's pledge to impose universal tariffs only on items related to key U.S. security areas is being considered.

Trump immediately countered that it was fake news, but the report is interpreted as reflecting a sense of crisis in Trump's camp that if universal tariffs are applied, prices could rise and support could fall.

Reuters reported that calls for moving up the general election could grow in Canada to secure new leadership to actively counter Trump's tariffs.

Experts predict that a series of leadership changes by key U.S. allies, including Canada and South Korea, will adversely affect Trump's bargaining power.

I'm YTN's Lee Seungyoon from New York.