Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be having a pleasant time in Washington so far on his state visit. He posted his attendance at a Renwick Gallery reception on Instagram Wednesday night. He hung out with The Weeknd at Blair House. On Thursday evening, he’ll be the guest of honor at a state dinner full of (Canadian) luminaries.
But even with Trudeau and President Obama putting out joint statements on climate change, trade policy, security, and other subjects of regional cooperation, not all is well with the Canadian-American alliance.
“We’ve made tremendous progress on many issues,” Trudeau said at a joint press conference with Obama at the White House on Thursday morning. “Unfortunately, I’m going to leave town with my beloved Expos still here in Washington. You can’t have everything.”
Before the Nationals arrived in DC, the franchise existed for 36 years as the Montreal Expos, which the 44-year-old Trudeau grew up cheering for. Trudeau’s jab today at the Nationals is no passing reference; the prime minister often flashes his lingering Expos fandom:
Le grand Jim Fanning, ancien gérant des @Montreal_Expos, nous a quittés. Une triste journée pour les Canadiens et les amateurs de sport.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 25, 2015
Bonne fête @DenisCoderre! On te souhaite le retour des Expos! #NosAmours
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 25, 2015
Deux parties mémorables cette fin de semaine. Vive @Montreal_Expos! #ExposWeekend, beaux souvenirs #blackcatcafe pic.twitter.com/mrlWsovVpr
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 28, 2014
C’est génial de voir plus de 1000 fans des @Montreal_expos au match des #bluejays aujourd’hui. Ça me rappelle plein de bons souvenirs!
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 20, 2013
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
