President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off Trudeau’s visit to the U.S. with a roundtable on women in the workforce, Monday, where both leaders expressed their desire to help female CEOs grow their businesses.
“Women, as you know, and I can say that from my past life, I had so many women executives, they were phenomenal, phenomenal, and really helped me, and it was really fantastic,” Trump said. “They play a tremendously important role, women in our economy.”
Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was present at the meeting, sitting right next to Trudeau, who thanked Trump briefly for welcoming him to America, but kept his remarks focused on the panel gathered at the table.
“I’m excited about launching this, sitting around the table with a number of successful executives who just happen to be women,” Trudeau said.
“Whenever I sit down with a woman executive, I know that she has had to overcome significant barriers that exist, and therefore is likely to have greater insight into helping up others, but also the formidable contributor to the success of the business and her economy,” he continued. “So, I think for me, it’s not just about doing the right thing, it’s about understanding that women in leadership positions is a very powerful leverage for success for business, for communities and for our entire economy.”
