Justin Trudeau's First Selfie After Retiring From Politics Has Trump On Everyone's Minds

In January 2025, Justin Trudeau announced his plans to step down as Canada's prime minister and, in an ego-boosting move, Donald Trump later attempted to take credit for Trudeau's resignation. By mid-March, Mark Carney had taken on the role. Now, Trudeau appears to be enjoying his retirement, as evidenced by a March 18 Instagram selfie. The former PM began his week with a trip to Canadian Tire. Despite the name, this store has much more than car-related gear, including all kinds of housewares (Trudeau appeared to be loading up on kitchen utensils). However, even though his career is in the rearview mirror, fans still associate the politician with Trump.

"Thank you for standing up to Trump! We true Americans are so proud you did," one poster praised Trudeau in the comments of the post. The former Canadian leader and two-time U.S. president had a contentious relationship to say the very least, and Trudeau and Trump have thrown plenty of shady digs at each other over the years. For instance, Trudeau didn't hesitate to hold Trump partially responsible for stirring up angry emotions during the January 6 Capitol attacks.

He and the divisive politician also butted heads on tariffs. "The best argument as to why Canada shouldn't be hit with tariffs or punitive protectionist measures is that it would hurt American jobs as well," Trudeau explained in May 2024 (via CTV News). One Instagram follower commended him for looking out for U.S. interests too, throwing in a Trump-related insult of their own. "We are so sorry for the headache that this new lunatic is causing," they apologized. "Enjoy your private life."

While Donald Trump won't have to deal with Justin Trudeau in his work life anymore, people aren't done using their fandom of the former Canadian PM to puncture his notoriously fragile ego. "Hello Handsome, Trump will feel jealous of you. You are looking great," gushed one commenter after checking out Trudeau's Instagram retirement selfie. His good looks are frequently commented upon, and periodically since 2019, everyone has been convinced that Melania Trump had eyes for Trudeau after she met him at that year's G7 summit. Other fans poked at Trump's self-esteem by suggesting that Trudeau end his retirement and take his job running the country instead. "Please come to the states and be our president now [...] HELP!" begged one seemingly desperate user. 

Notably, a 2017 issue of Rolling Stone featured Trudeau on the cover and floated the very same idea. However, not only does his Canadian citizenship prevent him from leading the U.S. government, the former PM spent his last day in office touting his allegiance to Canada while twisting the knife in Trudeau's feud with Trump in his farewell speech. 

"As Canadians face, from our neighbor, an existential challenge, an economic crisis, Canadians are showing exactly what we are made of," he declared (via CBC News). "Not by defining ourselves by who we're not, but by proudly embracing who we are." Even though Trudeau no longer has a public platform, he's clearly making more subtle political statements by pledging his support for homegrown businesses like Canadian Tire.