Topline
President Donald Trump said Saturday morning he will hit Canada with a 100% tariff on all imports if the country makes a trade deal with China, as tensions between the Trump administration and the U.S.’ northern neighbor escalate.
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, threatened tariffs against Canada if Prime Minister Mark Carney completes a trade deal with China.
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Key Facts
Trump accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of attempting to make Canada into a “drop off port for China to send goods and products into the United States,” writing in a post on Truth Social that he will “immediately” impose tariffs on Canada if it strikes a deal with China.
Trump’s threat comes two days after he pulled Canada’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took aim at Trump’s foreign policy moves.
Carney appeared to reference Trump in a speech at the World Economic Forum earlier this week when he warned of an authoritarian rise, urging smaller countries to band together against larger forces.
Trump responded by saying, “Canada lives because of the United States,” which was rejected by Carney: “Canada doesn’t ‘live because of the United States.’ Canada thrives because we are Canadian. We are masters in our own house.”
Trump did not reference the specific trade talks between Canada and China, but earlier this month Carney announced Canada was removing trade barriers with China “to unlock billions of dollars in business for Canadian farmers, fish harvesters and workers across agri-food sectors” by allowing 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market.
The U.S. imported $421 billion of goods from Canada in 2024, with energy products encompassing $131 billion; vehicles and machinery are also major imports from Canada.
Crucial Quote
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life. If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
Key Background
Trump has repeatedly used tariffs as a negotiating tool in both his first and second terms as president, including earlier in the week when he pulled back on proposed tariffs to eight European countries that provided military support to Greenland after reaching a “framework of a future deal” with NATO over the territory Canada was previously hit by U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, temporarily disrupting one of the world’s largest bilateral trading relationships. The president previously pushed for Canada to become the United States’ 51st state, which continued this week when he posted an image on Truth Social that included Canada, Venezuela and Greenland all a part of the U.S.
What We Don’t Know
“We don’t know if this ends well for Canada at all,” Aaron Ettinger, a political science associate professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, told The Hill. “There’s the realization from the past week that Canada is not dealing with a reliable or maybe even a rational leader of the United States.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
