President Donald Trump stated Tuesday he has ordered his administration to boost tariffs on Canadian metal and aluminum imports by an extra 25%, bringing the entire duties to 50%.
The brand new coverage will go into impact Wednesday morning, Trump stated in a Truth Social post that additionally repeated his requires Canada to be absorbed into the U.S. because the “Fifty First State.”
Trump stated he was imposing the newest tariffs in response to Ontario’s determination to slap a 25% tax on electrical energy exports to the U.S.
That transfer by Ontario Premier Doug Ford was itself issued in retaliation for the sweeping 25% tariffs that Trump had positioned on imports from Canada.
“Based mostly on Ontario, Canada, putting a 25% Tariff on “Electrical energy” coming into america, I’ve instructed my Secretary of Commerce so as to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
“This may go into impact TOMORROW MORNING, March twelfth,” he wrote.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average prolonged its losses after Trump’s announcement, falling greater than 500 factors, whereas the S&P 500 dropped 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.4%.
Markets are already reeling from the affect of Trump’s tariffs and broader fears of a recession.
Minutes after Trump’s announcement, Ford stated he would maintain his countermeasure on U.S. vitality in place.
“We is not going to again down. We might be relentless,” Ford stated on MSNBC. “I apologize to the American those that President Trump determined to have an unprovoked assault on our nation, on households, on jobs, and it is unacceptable.”
In an interview on CNBC’s “Money Movers” later Tuesday morning, Ford stated he could be willing to shut off his province’s vitality provide to the U.S. if Trump “continues to harm Canadian households.”
“I will not hesitate to try this,” Ford stated, including, “that is the very last thing I wish to do.”
Trump imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico in early February, earlier than delaying them for one month after which reimposing them — after which partially delaying them once more.
Ford has vowed to maintain Ontario’s tax in place, regardless of Trump’s newest reprieve.
“There’s one individual to be blamed, and that is President Trump,” Ford stated on CNBC. “There’s one individual to be blamed if we go right into a recession, it is going to be referred to as the Trump recession. Nobody else.”
Trump has not but signed the formal paperwork to boost tariffs on Canada’s metal and aluminum, however the order is “within the works,” a senior administration official advised CNBC on Tuesday.
The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate the president’s pondering, stated Trump’s escalation was supposed to “lay down the gauntlet” in response to Ford’s motion.
The White Home has no calls at the moment scheduled between the president and his Canadian counterparts, however the administration expects Ottawa to succeed in out in some unspecified time in the future Tuesday, the official added.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 7, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Individually within the Fact Social publish, Trump demanded that Canada “instantly drop” an “Anti-American Farmer Tariff” on sure U.S. dairy merchandise.
He additionally warned that he “will shortly be declaring a Nationwide Emergency on Electrical energy throughout the threatened space.”
“This may enable the united statesto shortly do what must be completed to alleviate this abusive menace from Canada,” Trump wrote.
The president additionally declared that if Canada doesn’t raise different “egregious, very long time Tariffs” on the U.S., he’ll “considerably improve” tariffs on auto imports on April 2.
Doing so will “basically, completely shut down the auto manufacturing enterprise in Canada,” Trump wrote.
The White Home didn’t instantly reply to CNBC’s request for added touch upon Trump’s publish.
Trump, who regularly praises tariffs as an financial multitool, has hyped April 2 because the date when he’ll impose widespread “reciprocal tariffs” on different nations which have their very own duties on U.S. items.
Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on Canada and Mexico have infected tensions with each U.S. neighbors. However they’ve stoked particular ire in Canada, the place actions have sprung as much as boycott U.S. merchandise and political leaders have forcefully denounced Trump’s trade war.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau straight accused Trump of making an attempt to weaken his nation so as to make it simpler to “annex,” referring to Trump’s repeated calls to make Canada the 51st state.
In Tuesday’s publish, Trump linked his tariff plans and his Canadian statehood objective much more explicitly.
“This can’t proceed,” Trump wrote. “The one factor that is sensible is for Canada to turn into our cherished Fifty First State.”
“This might make all Tariffs, and every thing else, completely disappear,” he wrote, whereas promising that Canadians’ taxes would go down.
“The unreal line of separation drawn a few years in the past will lastly disappear, and we can have the most secure and most stunning Nation anyplace within the World,” he added.
“And your good anthem, ‘O Canada,’ will proceed to play, however now representing a GREAT and POWERFUL STATE throughout the biggest Nation that the World has ever seen!”
— CNBC’s Megan Cassella contributed to this report.
Correction: Justin Trudeau is prime minister of Canada. An earlier model misstated his standing.
