The US "subsidizes" Canada with 200 billion USD/year - Trump threatens to increase tariffs before the Canadian elections
A few days before the federal election and after more than a week without commenting on Canada, US President Donald Trump resurfaced his 51st state rhetoric and suggested he could further increase auto tariffs.
The president repeated his false claim that the United States "subsidizes" Canada with 200 billion US dollars per year.
"I have to be honest, as a country it works great," Trump said. "Ninety-five percent of what they do is they buy from us and they sell to us."
The comments come as the Canadian federal election became less focused on U.S. economic and sovereignty threats and as the Liberals' lead over the Conservative Party narrowed in the past week.
If Canada didn't trade with the U.S., according to Trump, "as Trudeau told me, they would cease to exist as a country... which is true, of course." The president said he called former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "Governor Trudeau."
Regarding tariffs, he said he was "working on a deal" with Canada, but later suggested he could raise them further.
Trump was asked whether he would raise tariffs on Canadian goods, which so far include taxes on vehicles and car parts, steel, aluminum, goods that are not in compliance with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement and an expected increase in tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber.
"At some point, they could go up," Trump said of the tariffs. Most of his comments focused on the auto industry, but he also said there are currently no planned tariff increases on vehicles.
"All we're saying is we don't want your cars, with all due respect," the president said. "We don't need their oil. We don't need their wood. We don't need their cars."
The president has repeated his $200 billion claim twice. Since December, Trump has cited figures ranging from $100 billion to $250 billion, saying the country is "subsidizing" Canada. Journalists and trade experts have repeatedly dismissed the claim and said it is unclear where the US president got such a high figure.
Canada's trade deficit with the United States was $63 billion last year, up from just over $64 billion in 2023. But Canadian tourists visiting the country, whose numbers are falling according to data, make up some of that gap. Trade deficits are also not considered subsidies.
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