The United States President Donald Trump ignited another firestorm of tariff war, vowing to slam 100% tariffs on Canada.
Trump on Saturday declared that he would impose 100% tariffs on all imports from Canada if the country’s Prime Minister Mark Carney proceeds with a recently announced “strategic partnership” with China.
This latest tariff threat marks a dramatic escalation in trade tensions between the two neighbors.
In his social media post, Trump accused Canada of attempting to become a “Drop Off Port” for Chinese goods seeking back-door entry into the United States market.
“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.,” he posted on Truth Social.
While Trump has waged a trade war over the past year, Canada this month negotiated a deal to lower tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower import taxes on Canadian farm products.
Trump initially had said that agreement was what Carney “should be doing and it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal.”
The controversy stemmed from a preliminary agreement-in-principle reached last week between Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Key components of the deal include:
Electric Vehicles: Canada agreed to drop its 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs, allowing up to 49,000 units annually at a reduced 6.1% rate.
Agriculture: In exchange, China promised to slash tariffs on Canadian canola seed from 85% to 15% and remove barriers for lobster, crab, and beef.
Energy & Tech: A commitment to collaborate on clean energy, battery storage, and climate competitiveness.
Also, Trump’s threat of 100% tarrifs on Canada comes amid an escalating war of words with Carney as the Republican president’s push to acquire Greenland strained the NATO alliance.
Trump had commented while in Davos, Switzerland, this week that “Canada lives because of the United States.” Carney shot back that his nation can be an example that the world does not have to bend toward autocratic tendencies.
Trump later revoked his invitation to Carney to join his Board of Peace that he is forming to try to resolve global conflicts. The president announced the move in a message to Carney on Truth Social, saying the Board of Peace “is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time.”
Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has come after he has repeatedly needled Canada over its sovereignty and suggested it also be absorbed by the United States as a 51st state.
He resumed that this week, posting an altered image on social media showing a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland, and Cuba as part of its territory.
In his message Saturday, Trump continued by calling Canada’s leader “Governor Carney.”
