Trudeau tells Trump that tariffs are 'very dumb' and says US is appeasing Putin

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau called American tariffs “very dumb” and said that US president Donald Trump is appeasing Russia while launching a trade war against Canada.

In a blunt news conference during his final days in office, Mr Trudeau said that Canada would plaster retaliatory tariffs on more than $100bn of American goods in response to Mr Trump’s 25% tariffs.