President Trump on Saturday threatened Canada with steep tariffs if it “makes a deal with China” and insulted Prime Minister Mark Carney, his latest swing at the country since Mr. Carney pushed back against his policies in a highly publicized speech in Davos, Switzerland, this week.
“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He referred to Mr. Carney as “Governor Carney,” a reference to Mr. Trump’s repeated insistence that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
There is no indication that Canada and China are in discussions about a broad trade agreement. Mr. Trump may have been reacting to Mr. Carney’s state visit to China last week, during which he agreed to lower tariffs on some Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for China doing the same for some Canadian agricultural products. The closely watched visit was billed as a crucial reset in the two countries’ relationship, but the trade agreement itself was modest.
Canada gave Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, a detailed preview of the agreement with China before it was signed, a senior Canadian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to divulge details about communication between the two administrations. Mr. Trump appeared to praise Mr. Carney after the deal was announced. (“Good for him,” he said.)
But he soured on the prime minister after Mr. Carney’s Davos speech, in which Mr. Carney declared that the U.S.-led world order had been ruptured and called on “middle powers” like Canada to band together to survive a new and perilous era.
