Trump responds to Canada’s announcement of retaliatory tariffs
US President Donald Trump criticized Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the introduction of retaliatory tariffs against the United States. The Canadian measures, targeting in particular the US steel and dairy industries, are set to take effect on September 8.
Trump’s statement
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Canada “wants the advantages of being a state without being one.” He also accused Canada of charging US farmers significant tariffs “for many years.”
As ABC News Australia reports, since the beginning of his second presidential term, Trump has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of Canada becoming the 51st US state. Such statements have sparked outrage in Canada.
Tariffs and negotiations
The new Canadian tariffs were announced after the United States introduced 50% tariffs that took effect on Saturday. The US restrictions cover goods worth about $20 billion in total and affect roughly 5.5% of Canadian exports to the United States.
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Washington imposed tariffs on a range of goods, including wine, furniture, dairy products, cement, clothing, fishing rods and hockey equipment. These tariffs provide no exemptions for Canadian goods under the free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada, which had protected most Canadian exports to the US over the previous 18 months.
The sides failed to reach a trade agreement after three days of intensive negotiations, with each blaming the other for the breakdown of talks. Carney also said that the US proposals affected issues of Canadian culture, language and sovereignty, without providing details.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford supported Carney’s decision to introduce retaliatory tariffs, calling a potential agreement unfavorable for the province, the automotive sector, the steel industry and manufacturing.
