The US President has signed off on an order to impose ‘catastrophic’ tariffs, not only to Canada, but to Mexico and China to hold the countries ‘accountable’ for what Trump says is their failed promise to ‘halt the flood of poisonous drugs into the US.’
All goods imported from the countries have had a 25 percent tariff attached, and Canadian energy products a further 10 percent tariff after Trump initially held back on rolling out the plan for 30 days before going ahead with it.
The 47th President of the US said the only ‘solution’ for Canada to dodge the tariff would for it to become the 51st State of the US.
Canada has been less than happy about the whole debacle, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing the country would hit back with tariffs.
Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, Canada, also tore up a $100 million contract with Elon Musk in an apparent retaliation, and threatened to hike a 25 percent surcharge on electricity or switch the power off to 1.5 million US citizens in bordering US states, as well as either surcharging or cutting off mineral exports.
President Trump has stoked tensions at times, teasing Canada in joining the US and referring to Trudeau not as the PM but as the ‘Governor’.
Now, the POTUS doesn’t appear to be giving up the gag anytime soon, once again referring to him as ‘Governor’ over the trade debacle.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrotre: “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!”
The Canadian leader snapped back and apparently dropped formalities in his response, too.
He said: “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,” as per AP.
He then referred to the President by just his first name, saying: “I want to speak directly to one specific American, Donald.
“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 Prime Minister further accused the Trump administration of provoking a ‘total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us.’
On supposed plans of making Canada another US state, Trudeau is also not budging.
“That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state.
“This is a time to hit back hard and to demonstrate that a fight with Canada will have no winners.”
Trump has justified the tariffs hike on Canada due to what he claims is a ‘growing production of fentanyl’ from its neighbor that is sneaking into the states and killed ‘9.8 million Americans’ last year.
However, Trudeau argued that ‘less than one percent of the fentanyl intercepted at the US border comes from Canada’, and the country has ‘worked relentlessly to address this scourge that affects Canadians and Americans alike’.
