Donald Trump doubles tariffs on Canada and announces “tariffs of 50% on all steel and aluminum arriving in the United States from one of the nations that imposes the highest tariffs in the world”. In a post on Truth Social, the American president states that the measure, “which will come into force tomorrow, March 12”, is a response to the move by the Canadian state of Ontario which imposed tariffs of 25% on electricity it exports to three US states, Michigan, Minnesota and New York, with an additional cost of $400,000 per day. A move that was in turn the response to the tariffs imposed by Trump.
Regarding then the tariffs on electricity decreed in Ontario, Trump announces that “I will soon declare a national emergency for electricity in the threatened areas. This – he adds – will allow the United States to quickly do what needs to be done to alleviate this abusive threat coming from Canada”.
The American president then asked Canada to “immediately suspend” the “shameful” tariffs on dairy products, which “are between 250% and 390%” and hit American farmers. And threatens that if “these and other long-standing tariffs are not abolished, I will substantially increase tariffs on cars entering the US from April 2 which essentially, will permanently close the auto industry in Canada”. “These cars can easily be produced in the US,” adds Trump.
In his long post on Truth Social, the tycoon returned to insist on the annexation of Canada, stating that “the only thing that makes sense is to become our dear 51st state, this would make tariffs and everything else disappear”. The northern neighbor, says Trump, “spends very little on national security, counting on the US for military protection. We support Canada with over 200 billion a year, this cannot continue”.
Everything, the president insists, could be solved with annexation: “Canadian taxes would be substantially reduced – writes Trump, who with his two months of continuous attacks on the Canadian government has worked the miracle of bringing the Liberals of the outgoing Justin Trudeau to the top of the polls, from over 20 points behind a year ago – they would be safer militarily and otherwise and the northern border would no longer be a problem”.
“The artificial dividing line drawn many years ago would finally disappear and the safest and most beautiful nation in the world would be stronger and more beautiful than ever,” concludes Trump, explaining that Canada would be “a large and powerful state of the strongest nation in the world”. As revealed in recent days, in phone calls with Trudeau last month Trump challenged the validity of the agreement with which the border between the US and Canada was formalized in 1908, questioning in particular the division of lakes and rivers that the two countries share.
For his part, in Ontario Premier Doug Ford responds to the US president by reiterating that “Ontario and Canada will not back down until President Trump’s tariffs are gone forever.” “US markets are collapsing because of Trump’s tariffs, prices are going up for American workers,” Ford added, interviewed today by several US broadcasters to “send a message to Americans that President Trump must end the tariff chaos forever”.
“President Trump has launched an unprovoked trade war with America’s closest friend and ally,” said the Ontario premier, who yesterday said he needed to meet with Trump “as soon as possible” to resolve the issue. The prominence of the Ontario premier comes at a time when the handover between Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, is expected, who on Sunday became leader of the majority Liberal party and therefore prime minister designate.
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