MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won’t be joining him and President Donald Trump in Washington this week to mark the start of a new free trade accord.

López Obrador said Trudeau had asked to speak with him and they planned to speak by phone on Monday. Late last week, Trudeau had not committed to attending the White House gathering.

López Obrador has come under heavy criticism at home for making his first foreign trip to meet with a president who has insulted Mexicans and doing it just months before U.S. elections.

But López Obrador has managed to maintain a cordial relationship with Trump and believes the start of the new trade agreement, negotiated from before the start of his administration is worth the trip.

López Obrador also said he would likely be tested for COVID-19 Monday afternoon before travelling to Washington Tuesday. He said he would share his results, if he had them, Tuesday morning.