President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all Canadian imports coming into the U.S. if Canada follows through on a trade deal with China.
“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 in a post on social media, mockingly calling Prime Minister Mark Carney “Governor,” a nod to the nickname he had for former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“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.”
In the midst of Trump wreaking havoc on longstanding allies like Canada through a hefty trade war, Carney has gone elsewhere, announcing last week a “new strategic partnership” between China and Canada.
As a part of the deal, Canada will ease the tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles that it imposed in tandem with the U.S. in 2024. In exchange, China will lower retaliatory tariffs on key Canadian agricultural products.
Following the announcement of the deal, Trump initially sounded indifferent, saying “that’s what he should be doing,” and that it was “a good thing” for Carney to sign a trade deal with China.
Saturday’s threat comes on top of an ongoing tariff dispute between the two nations that began early last year after the U.S. imposed broad tariffs on Canadian imports — 25 percent on many goods and higher rates on some other commodities — under national emergency trade powers. Canada then responded with retaliatory tariffs.
A number of these tariffs have remained in place, albeit with exemptions for many products covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Earlier this month, Trump said USMCA is something he doesn’t “even think about,” adding that “it expires very shortly and we could have it or not. It wouldn’t matter to me.”
Trump’s comments only add to the recent spat between him and his Canadian counterpart.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos this past week, Carney delivered a high-profile speech warning that the traditional U.S.-led world order was fracturing and urged middle powers to diversify their alliances and trading relationships. That message — coupled with Canada’s emerging trade engagement with China — prompted a strong reaction from Trump. He claimed “Canada lives because of the United States” and that Ottawa is “ungrateful” for its relationship with Washington — even directly calling out Carney, saying: “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
On Friday, Trump publicly withdrew his invitation for Carney to join his Board of Peace initiative, which has garnered lackluster support from European allies.
Trump’s threat toward a once essential U.S. ally comes as the president continues joking about Canada becoming the 51st state. It also comes days after Trump’s quest to control Greenland hit a turning point in Davos, showing how this administration treats allies less as partners than as adjacent territory to be pressured, coerced or rhetorically absorbed if they stray from Washington’s preferred path.



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