On Saturday, President Donald Trump stated that he would impose a 100% tariff on goods from Canada if the country fulfills the trade agreement with China, and warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that such an agreement would jeopardize the security of his country.
"China will eat Canada alive, completely absorb it, including the destruction of business, social structure, and way of life as a whole," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
'If Canada makes a deal with China, a 100% customs tariff will be immediately imposed on all Canadian goods and products entering the U.S.'
Representatives from Carney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This month, the Prime Minister of Canada traveled to China to mend strained relations between the countries and reached a trade agreement with Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States. Immediately after Carney's trip to China, Trump expressed support for him. 'It's good for him,' he said. 'Sign the trade agreement,' Trump told reporters at the White House on January 16. 'If you can make a deal with China, you should do it.'
However, in recent days, tensions in the relationship between the U.S. and Canada have increased following Carney's criticism of Trump's actions regarding the acquisition of Greenland.
INCREASING PRESSURE ON CANADIAN INDUSTRY
On Saturday, Trump suggested that China would try to use Canada to circumvent American tariffs. 'If Governor Carney thinks he can turn Canada into a 'transshipment point' for China to send goods and products to the United States, he is deeply mistaken,' Trump said, using Carney's title, which refers to Trump's past calls for Canada to become the 51st state of the U.S.
If Trump follows through on his threat expressed on Saturday, the new tariff will significantly increase U.S. duties on goods from its northern neighbor, intensifying pressure on Canadian industrial sectors such as metallurgy, automotive, and engineering. Relations between Carney and Trump seemed relatively calm until the Canadian leader sharply opposed Trump's ambition to acquire Greenland this week.
Subsequently, at the World Economic Forum, Carney urged countries to recognize that the rules-based global order has ended, pointing to Canada as an example of how 'middle powers' could act together to avoid the fate of being victims of American hegemony.
In his speech in Davos, Switzerland, Carney did not directly name Trump or the United States. However, the Prime Minister argued that 'middle powers must act together because if you are not at the negotiating table, you become a target.'
Many world leaders and industry magnates present at the conference in Switzerland responded with a standing ovation.
Trump responded in his speech in Davos, stating that Canada 'lives off the United States,' a statement that Carney contradicted. 'Canada and the United States have created a wonderful partnership in the economy, in security, and in a rich cultural exchange,' Carney said in Quebec. 'Canada does not exist because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadians.'
Since then, Trump has taken a tough stance, rescinding Canada's invitation to his World Council, which he would like to create to resolve international conflicts and determine the future of Gaza.
After Carney was elected last year, Trump and Carney maintained a friendly relationship. 'I think our relationship will be very strong,' Trump said at the time.
However, this month Trump called the mega-trade agreement reached in July between the United States, Canada, and Mexico 'outdated'.
