Trump threatens Canada with 10% additional import tax over anti-tariffs advert : NPR

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump mentioned on Saturday that he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian items by an additional 10% due to an anti-tariff tv advert aired by the province of Ontario.

The advert used the phrases of former President Ronald Reagan to criticize U.S. tariffs, angering Trump who mentioned he would finish commerce talks with Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford mentioned he would pull the advert after the weekend, and it ran Friday night time through the first sport of the World Sequence.

“Their Commercial was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, however they let it run final night time through the World Sequence, understanding that it was a FRAUD,” Trump mentioned in a publish on his Reality Social platform as he flew aboard Air Pressure One to Malaysia.

“Due to their severe misrepresentation of the info, and hostile act, I’m rising the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they’re paying now.”

It was not instantly clear when the ten% hike would come into impact, nor whether or not it might apply to all Canadian items.

Canada’s economic system has been hit onerous by Trump’s tariffs, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been making an attempt to work with Trump to decrease them. Greater than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., and practically $3.6 billion Canadian ($2.7 billion U.S.) value of products and companies cross the border each day.

Many Canadian merchandise have been hit with a 35% tariff, whereas metal and aluminum face charges of fifty%. Power merchandise have a decrease price of 10%, whereas different items lined by the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Settlement are exempt. That commerce settlement is slated for overview. Trump negotiated the deal in his first time period, however has since soured on it.

Trump and Carney will each attend the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia. However Trump advised reporters touring with him that he had no intention of assembly Carney there.

Trump mentioned the advert misrepresented the place of Reagan, a two-term president and a beloved determine within the Republican Get together. However Reagan was cautious of tariffs and used a lot of the 1987 deal with featured in Ontario’s advert spelling out the case towards tariffs.

Trump has complained the advert was aimed toward influencing the U.S. Supreme Courtroom forward of arguments scheduled for subsequent month that may determine whether or not Trump has the ability to impose his sweeping tariffs, a key a part of his financial technique.