Donald Trump’s threats come after Canada reached an agreement with China last week on trade in agricultural products and electric vehicles.
MONTREAL, Canada – U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canada if it goes ahead with a trade deal with China announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
In a statement posted on Truth Social on Saturday morning, President Trump said Carney was “a big mistake” if he thought Canada could be a “‘drop off port’ for China to send goods and products to the United States.”
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“If Canada signs a deal with China, there will be immediate 100% tariffs on all Canadian products and products imported into the United States,” Trump wrote in the post, referring to Carney as “Governor” rather than Prime Minister.
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
The threat comes amid heightened tensions between Canada and the United States after Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week was widely seen as a condemnation of the Trump administration’s policies.
“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney said in a speech, calling on the world’s “middle powers” to deepen their cooperation in the face of coercion and intimidation.
The prime minister’s comments angered President Trump, who responded by saying, “Canada is alive because of the United States.” “Mark, please remember that next time you speak,” he said at Davos.
President Trump this week also revoked Carney’s invitation to a so-called “peace commission.”
Even before he officially took office in January 2025, the U.S. president has threatened to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods while repeatedly saying he wants Canada to become the “51st state” of the United States.
That has pushed relations between North America’s neighbors to historic lows, prompting Mr. Carney in recent months to seek new economic partnerships with countries such as China, the European Union and Qatar.
“This is all part of Mr. Carney’s goals; [Canada’s] dependence on the United States,” Asa McKercher, a professor at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia who specializes in Canada-US relations, told Al Jazeera after Davos.
“He’s a banker, so any ‘diversified portfolio’ reduces the risk of a particular shock. That’s probably what a banker would think,” McKercher said.
“[Carney] The US feels like a dangerous trade and security partner, which is not a bad assessment given that Donald Trump is threatening a trade war against America’s closest allies. ”
Last week, after Mr. Carney visited Canada for talks with Chinese leaders, the Canadian government announced a “new strategic partnership” with China.
The deal would see Beijing lower tariffs on Canadian canola and other agricultural products in exchange for Ottawa allowing up to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles to enter the Canadian market.
“At its best, the relationship between Canada and China presents great opportunities for our peoples,” Carney said in a statement after the announcement.
