Trump escalates Canada trade tensions with 35% tariff threat
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to impose a 35% tariff on Canadian imports, an escalation that has cast doubt over ongoing trade negotiations.
As of this writing, the administration has not specified whether the new duties would override protections under the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, which are currently exempting many key goods (such as agricultural products) from levies.
In a letter posted on Truth Social and addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada, Trump said the tariffs would take effect Aug. 1 unless Canada makes unspecified concessions.
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The letter accused Canada of “financial retaliation” through its own tariffs and criticized what Trump called inadequate efforts to halt fentanyl shipments across the border, an assertion that the New York Times and others have noted is not supported by either U.S. or Canadian data.
“These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump wrote in the letter.
The letter follows similar warnings sent to other U.S. trading partners this week. Unlike those other messages, Trump’s Canada letter included a personal rebuke over dairy tariffs and narcotics enforcement.
Carney responded late on Thursday, pledging to secure “the best deal for our workers” while defending Canada’s record on fighting fentanyl.
He acknowledged the Aug. 1 deadline but did not directly address the potential 35% levy.
If enacted broadly, the tariffs could damage Canada’s export-reliant economy, which counts the United States as its largest market.
