Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariff over trade deal with China

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned Canada of a 100 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods if Prime Minister Mark Carney goes ahead with a recent trade deal with China, describing the agreement as a threat to the country.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, said, “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life. If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the USA.”

Carney’s office has not responded to requests for comment. Earlier this month, Carney travelled to China to repair ties and signed a trade deal with the country, Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the United States. At the time, Trump had expressed support for the agreement, saying, “If you can get a deal with China, you should do that.”

Tensions between the U.S. and Canada escalated in recent days after Carney criticised Trump’s pursuit of Greenland and, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, called for nations to recognise that a rules-based global order is over. He said “middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” in comments widely interpreted as a critique of U.S. dominance.

Trump responded at the same forum, saying Canada “lives because of the United States,” a remark Carney rejected, stating, “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”

Trump has since revoked Canada’s invitation to his “Board of Peace” initiative, which he intends to use to deal with international conflicts, including the future of Gaza.

The U.S.-Canada relationship had appeared cordial after Carney’s election, but Trump also dismissed the mega trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico — due for renegotiation in July — as “irrelevant.”

If enforced, a 100 per cent tariff would hit Canadian industries such as metals, machinery, and automobiles, intensifying pressure on the country’s economy.