President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of a key bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan, to the Canadian province of Ontario if the Mark Carney-led country does not engage in trade talks with Washington.
The Respect We Deserve
On Monday, Trump took to the social media platform Truth Social to criticize the bridge. He began the post by saying that Canada had treated the U.S. “very unfairly for decades.” Trump also shared that Canada owns both sides of the bridge and it was “built with virtually no U.S. content.”
Slamming former President Barack Hussein Obama, he said that Obama had “stupidly” given Canada a “waiver,” which allowed the country to bypass the Buy American Act, which says that preference must be given to American-made products by the Federal government.
China-Canada Deal
Trump said that Ottawa expects him to let them “take advantage of America,” sharing that the U.S. would receive no benefits and Canada wouldn’t sell American-made spirits and alcohol in the country. “Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive,” Trump said.
He added that China would end Ice Hockey in Canada and put an end to the Stanley Cup. He also said Canada’s tariffs on U.S. dairy products were unacceptable to American farmers.
According to a New York Times article from March last year, Canada has adopted a tariff-rate quota system for U.S.-made dairy products, which means that the dairy products would be allowed to enter without tariffs provided they do not exceed certain import quotas, which they haven’t, which is why tariffs on these products haven’t been activated.
China and Canada reached an agreement to allow at least 49,000 EVs made by China to be imported into Canada at a lower tariff rate. The deal also has potential for the number to reach 70,000. The agreement has been heavily criticized by Trump, as well as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them,” he said, adding that negotiations would start immediately and that the U.S. should be allowed to own “at least one half of this asset,” touting “astronomical” revenue for America.
Trump’s Earlier Tariff Threats
The comments come as Trump had threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canada following the China EV agreement. “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 U.S.A,” Trump had said.
He also shared that he was revoking certifications of all Canadian-made aircraft in the U.S., while also threatening to impose 50% tariffs on Canada unless U.S.-made Gulfstream jets receive certification in the country.
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