Donald Trump has coined a new brutal nickname for Canada’s Justin Trudeau as tensions escalate in their trade war. The U.S. President has approved an order to impose “catastrophic” tariffs not just on Canada, but also on Mexico and China, in an attempt to hold these countries accountable for what he claims is their failure to stop the flow of “poisonous drugs” into the U.S. The tariffs have been set at 25 percent for all imported goods from these countries, with Canadian energy products facing an additional 10 percent charge. Trump had delayed the rollout of this plan for 30…
Donald Trump has coined a new brutal nickname for Canada’s Justin Trudeau as tensions escalate in their trade war. The U.S. President has approved an order to impose “catastrophic” tariffs not just on Canada, but also on Mexico and China, in an attempt to hold these countries accountable for what he claims is their failure to stop the flow of “poisonous drugs” into the U.S.
The tariffs have been set at 25 percent for all imported goods from these countries, with Canadian energy products facing an additional 10 percent charge. Trump had delayed the rollout of this plan for 30 days but has now gone ahead with it. In response, he suggested that the only way Canada could avoid these tariffs would be by becoming the 51st state of the U.S.
Canada, unsurprisingly, is not happy about this situation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford canceled a $100 million contract with Elon Musk. Ford also threatened to hike electricity charges by 25 percent or cut power to 1.5 million U.S. citizens in neighboring states, along with imposing surcharges or halting mineral exports.
Trump has repeatedly made jabs at Trudeau, even referring to him as “Governor” in what seems to be a dig at the Canadian Prime Minister’s leadership. On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “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!”
Trudeau fired back, dismissing formalities as tensions continue to rise. He declared, “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.”
Referring to Trump by his first name, 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.” The Canadian leader also accused the Trump administration of deliberately causing a collapse in Canada’s economy to make it easier to annex the country.
As for Trump’s suggestion of turning Canada into a U.S. state, Trudeau remained resolute, saying, “That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state. This is a time to hit back hard and show that there are no winners in a fight with Canada.”
Trump claims the tariffs are necessary due to Canada’s role in the alleged “growing production of fentanyl” entering the U.S., a drug responsible for 9.8 million American deaths last year. However, Trudeau counters that less than one percent of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border originates in Canada and that the country has worked tirelessly to combat this issue.