President Donald Trump has taken a direct jab at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
As of Tuesday morning, imports from Canada are now to be taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products getting tariffed at 10%. The US has also imposed tariffs on imports from Mexico and China.
In response to Washington’s trade restrictions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s retaliatory measures: hitting $30 billion worth of US imports with a 25% tariff, BBC News reported.
Trump, known for his outspoken criticism of trade policies he deems unfair, lashed out at the 53-year-old on his Truth Social platform.
“Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a retaliatory tariff on the U.S., our reciprocal tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!” he wrote.
The pointed use of “Governor” rather than Prime Minister appears to be a not-so-subtle dig at Trudeau.
It reinforces the 78-year-old’s past suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States – an idea that the leader and many Canadian officials have firmly rejected.
Trudeau wasted no time in responding to Trump’s tariffs, condemning the US decision as a reckless move.
“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they are talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” he said, cited by AP news.
“I want to speak directly to one specific American, Donald,” Trudeau continued. “It’s not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do.”
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“There is absolutely no justification or need whatsoever for these tariffs today,” he said, adding that they will challenge the US at the World Trade Organization and under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Trudeau accused the US president of planning “a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us”.
“That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state,” he told reporters. “This is a time to hit back hard and to demonstrate that a fight with Canada will have no winners.”
He said that Canada’s main goal remains to get the tariffs lifted so that they “don’t last a second longer than necessary,” per BBC News.
The Trump administration has justified its 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods by linking them to the fentanyl crisis, accusing both countries of failing to stop the flow of the powerful opioid and its chemical ingredients into the US.
However, both Canada and Mexico have dismissed these claims as baseless and politically motivated. China also condemned Washington’s fentanyl argument, calling it a weak excuse to justify trade restrictions.
The Chinese government responded to Trump’s escalating trade policies with tariffs on key US agricultural and food products. They also announced an additional 10-15% tariff on American exports, including chicken, pork, soy, and beef, set to take effect next week, per NPR.
In addition to this, China has placed 25 US firms under export and investment restrictions, further escalating economic tensions between the two superpowers.
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