Communication Studies Associate Professor Vincent Raynauld has spent years studying Canadian politics and key political figures, including former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Raynauld, a Canadian citizen, has provided commentary on Trudeau throughout his political career, including when the former leader unexpectedly resigned in 2025.
But now Trudeau is making headlines for something far less political—his relationship with American pop star Katy Perry.
“It’s uncharted territory,” Raynauld told The New York Times.
Trudeau and Perry were recently spotted “on vacay” in France, and also at Coachella, which showed up on celebrity/pop culture websites like TMZ.
For Trudeau, the attention represents a new chapter in his public life—and one that Raynauld says comes at an interesting time in Canada-U.S. relations.
Not everyone in Canada is happy about Trudeau’s choice to date an American. Many Canadians are “very frustrated with the United States,” Raynauld told The Times. “And now you have a former prime minister who is dating a U.S. pop star and spending a lot of time in the U.S.”