President Trump warned on Friday that the United States could impose a sweeping 100% tariff on Canadian goods, sharply criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney for pursuing closer trade ties with China.
In a series of statements, Trump derided Carney — whom he repeatedly referred to as “governor” — and said the Canadian leader was dangerously misguided in believing he could gain leverage over Beijing.
“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
Trump went on to caution that Canada would not be allowed to serve as a conduit for Chinese exports into the United States.
“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,” he said.
The president warned that any agreement between Ottawa and Beijing would trigger severe economic consequences, recalling that he imposed a 35% tariff on Canada in August.
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote.
Carney earlier pushed back against Trump’s geopolitical ambitions, including efforts related to Greenland, while speaking Tuesday before a gathering of world leaders and global elites.
“The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it,” Carney said. “Nostalgia is not a strategy.”
The Canadian prime minister traveled to China from Jan. 14 to Jan. 17, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and announced agreements aimed at increasing the flow of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada at reduced tariffs.
Just a week earlier, Trump had taken a more relaxed tone about Canada’s outreach to Beijing.
“That’s what he should be doing. It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that,” Trump said at the time.
The shift in rhetoric suggests growing concern within the administration that China could use Canada as a backdoor to expand its access to U.S. markets, even as Trump continues to threaten new tariffs against Beijing over trade practices and policy disputes.
On Jan. 12, Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on any country that does business with Iran, a move that raised the prospect of renewed trade tensions with China, whose global trade surplus reached a record $1.2 trillion last year.
The latest exchange marks another chapter in the increasingly bitter relationship between Trump and Carney, the former head of both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. Last week, Trump removed Canada from his newly created “Board of Peace” after Carney criticized his foreign policy stance.
“Canada lives because of the United States,” Trump said at Davos. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
Carney fired back on Thursday.
“Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,” he said.
Trump initially began his term floating the idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, but the rhetoric faded after Carney’s election as prime minister in April. Trump had previously sparred with Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, whom he also occasionally referred to as “governor.”
{Matzav.com}
