Ex-general and Liberal U.S. point man urges ‘calm’ in dealing with Trump
OTTAWA — One of the Trudeau government’s top guns on dealing with Donald Trump — retired general Andrew Leslie — evoked the calm, stiff-upper-lip British approach in dealing with the unpredictable new U.S. president..
“All of us have to stay calm and carry on. We will make sure that we take care of our interests — security, trade, a whole host of others — while defending our values,” said Leslie, who was appointed earlier this month as parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister.
He said former U.S. president Barack Obama issued more executive orders in his first days in power than Trump — a piece of U.S. presidential trivia drawn from his briefing book in an apparent attempt to offer reassurance.
“Now that I am getting much better briefed on the issue, president Obama actually issued more executive orders and memorandums in his first week than President Trump,” he said on Tuesday, offering no other details.