‘‘It’s very, very cool to have the president call up, and I say, ‘Hello, Mr. President,’" Trudeau said about Obama. | Getty Obama has invited Canada's Trudeau for a state dinner

President Barack Obama has extended an invitation to new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to visit Washington and to attend a state dinner next year, the first such event for a Canadian prime minister in 19 years.

The invitation was revealed in a New York Times profile on the leader of the Canadian Liberal Party.




According to Trudeau, Obama called him after his election. ‘‘It’s very, very cool to have the president call up, and I say, ‘Hello, Mr. President.’ I’ve never met him,’’ said Trudeau, interviewed Nov. 10. He then did an imitation of Obama, relaying what the president told him: ‘’Justin, I like to think of myself as a young politician. The gray hair caught up with me, and it’ll catch up with you. But calling me ‘Sir’ makes me feel old. Call me ‘Barack.’” The pair subsequently met at a summit in Manila.

Trudeau was elected in a sweeping Liberal victory in October, with many comparing his candidacy to Obama’s in 2008.

And according to Trudeau, Obama saw the similarities too. ‘‘It was nice to confirm in person how like-minded we are on so many issues,’’ Trudeau told The New York Times. ‘‘He said that seeing my family on TV on election night reminded him of his election in 2008 with his family. I’m looking forward to having a beer with him.’’