President Donald Trump has threatened a 35 percent tariff on Canadian goods and says he may soon double what other nations are charged.
Trump is playing hardball with countries yet to make fresh trade deals with his administration following his so-called ‘Liberation Day’ in April.
In a letter sent to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney late Thursday, Trump said the U.S. will charge a 35 percent tariff on goods imported from Canada starting August 1. Trump posted a copy of the letter on his Truth Social account. It’s unclear if the new threatened tariff rate will apply to all imported goods.
Trump has already imposed hefty levies on Canada, one of the largest trading partners of the U.S., since taking office. In Thursday’s letter, Trump told Carney it was in response to his country’s, “failure to stop [fentanyl] from pouring into our Country.”
In February, Canada’s then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said fewer than 1 percent of street fentanyl in the U.S. comes from Canada.
To justify some of his latest tariffs, the president has declared national emergencies involving illegal immigration, the fentanyl crisis, and the trade deficit, relying on a 1977 law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.
Trump added in his letter, “The flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada,” writing that the country “charges extraordinary Tariffs to our Dairy Farmers.”
The president said his administration “will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter” if Canada works to stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
Canadian goods that are not under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement Trump brokered during his first term are already subject to a 25 percent tariff. Canadian energy imports face a 10 percent levy.
Canada has also hit the U.S. with retaliatory tariffs, including a 25 percent levy on live animals, meat, dairy, eggs and honey.
Carney is yet to publicly respond to Trump’s letter. The Independent has reached out to the Prime Minister’s office for comment.
Trump also told NBC News’ Kristen Welker Thursday he plans to impose higher blanket tariffs on most international trade partners. There is currently a 10 percent blanket tariff on all countries.
“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20 percent or 15 percent. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
Trump sent out letters, similar to that sent to Carney, to other world leaders on Monday — the same day White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump would delay the July 9 deadline he set for countries to either make a deal with him or face high tariffs.
The Trump administration initially promised “90 deals in 90 days,” but it fell hugely short of that.
Trump said Tuesday there would be “no extensions” granted to the new August 1 deadline he set Monday for trading partners to negotiate new deals or face significantly higher tariffs on imported goods.
The president threatened Japan and South Korea, two strong U.S. allies, with 25 percent tariffs, and 19 other countries with levies ranging from 25 to 40 percent.
Trump this week also announced a blanket 50 percent tariff on imports from Brazil, citing anger over the country’s treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Sometimes referred to as the “Trump of the tropics,” Bolsonaro is facing charges he plotted to overturn his 2022 election loss. The former Brazilian leader denies the allegations against him.
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