Trump: I'll Sock Canada With 100% Tariffs Over China Deal

President Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America's northern neighbor goes ahead with its China trade deal. Trump said in a social media post that if Canadian Prime Minister Mark 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," per the AP. While Trump has waged a trade war over the past year, Canada this month negotiated a deal to lower tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower import taxes on Canadian farm products. Trump initially had said that agreement was what Carney "should be doing and it's a good thing for him to sign a trade deal."

In his Saturday post on Truth Social, Trump also wrote that "China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life." Carney has emerged as a leader of a movement for nations to find ways to link up and counter the US under Trump. Speaking in Davos before Trump, Carney said, "Middle powers must act together, because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu." Carney hasn't yet reached a deal with Trump to reduce some of the tariffs that he has imposed on key sectors of the Canadian economy. But Canada has been protected by the heaviest impact of Trump's tariffs by the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement, which is up for a review this year.

Canada had initially mirrored the US by putting a 100% tariff on electric vehicles from Beijing and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum. China had responded by imposing 100% import taxes on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. But as Trump has pursued pressure tactics, Canada's foreign policy has been less aligned with the US, creating an opening for an improved relationship with China. Carney made the tariff announcement earlier this month during a visit to Beijing. Carney has said that Canada's relationship with the US is complex and deeper, and that Canada and China disagree on issues such as human rights. Carney's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. More here.