Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs

The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury in Toronto
Mark Carney speaks as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury in Toronto
(Image credit: Cole Burston / Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump Thursday threatened to increase tariffs on Canadian imports from 25% to 35% from next month. In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media, Trump accused Canada of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl, charging "extraordinary" tariffs on U.S. dairy farmers, and imposing retaliatory tariffs "instead of working with the United States."

Who said what

"If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter," Trump wrote. His latest tariff threat, said The Washington Post, brings "fresh turmoil" to the "already strained" relationship between the U.S. and the neighboring nation, which sent $410 billion in goods across the border last year.

This escalation "stands to derail" Carney's bid to "set a better tone" with his American counterpart, said The Wall Street Journal. A "tariff-free U.S.-Canada trading relationship going forward" appears "unlikely," Julia Webster, a trade lawyer in Toronto, told the paper.

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What next?

Carney said he would work toward agreeing a U.S. trade deal by the "revised deadline of August 1." Meanwhile, Trump's trade proposal for the European Union is expected as early as today.

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Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.