President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened that Canada would face an even higher tariff after the country responded with a retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods.
Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico – and increased tariff on China – went into effect Tuesday morning, and both countries vowed to respond with reciprocal tariffs on U.S. imports. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on its neighbors “is a very dumb thing to do.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump responded and warned Canada not to respond with its own tariff.
“Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!” Trump wrote on social media.
Canada immediately imposed a 25% tariff on $30 billion worth of American goods, according to Trudeau. Another $125 billion worth of U.S. products will be hit with a 25% tariff at the end of the month, Axios reported. The Canadian prime minister also addressed the American people on Tuesday, saying, “Your government has chosen to put American jobs at risk at the thousands of workplaces that succeed because of materials from Canada, or because of consumers in Canada, or both.”
“They have chosen to raise costs for American consumers on everyday essential items like groceries and gas, on major purchases like cars and homes and everything in between,” Trudeau added, arguing that the tariffs would cut off America’s access to energy and critical minerals.
In a statement on Monday, the White House said that “while President Trump gave both Canada and Mexico ample opportunity to curb the dangerous cartel activity and influx of lethal drugs flowing into our country, they have failed to adequately address the situation.”
“Both nations’ failure to arrest traffickers, seize drugs, or coordinate with U.S. law enforcement constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to America’s security—demanding IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) action to force accountability and protect American lives.”
Trudeau dismissed Trump’s argument that the tariffs were to protect American security, claiming that Trump wants to “see a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us.”
“First of all, that’s never going to happen. We will never be the fifty-first state,” Trudeau added.
