Summary
Donald Trump warned he may impose tariffs of 50 to 100% on Canadian-made cars, claiming Canada “stole” the U.S. auto industry.
The U.S. and Canada have had a deeply integrated automotive sector since the 1965 Auto Pact, later reinforced by NAFTA and CUSMA.
Trump also enacted 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum to protect U.S. industries.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to push back, with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc traveling to Washington to meet Trump’s commerce pick and argue against the tariffs.
He is clearly doing this to put pressure on the American automakers who absorbed the Canadian industry to make the huge expenses of rearranging their supply chains to no longer involve the Canadian part. No one will win from this.
Canadians already have a chip on their shoulder about most of their industries having been gradually absorbed by their bigger US counterparts over the decades, leaving them now with only few industries of their own. After having absorbed and exploited it, he wants to destroy it.
Claiming that they “stole” the industry is adding insult to injury. If Trump ever visits Canada he will be met by an angry lynch mob.
As usual, he has decided to implement a tariff without giving American businesses an alternative. Which hurts American businesses the most.
That’s the thing: It’s all bluff. The main goal is to scare away investments in the Canadian part of the industry by creating unpredictability. He’s trying to sabotage our economy. Even if he doesn’t actually follow through with it or doesn’t keep them on for very long the effect will be very real. What a fucking ally he is…
I just hope that industries catch on to this and start ignoring him.
It’s not bluff when he actually does it. He did it last time, he just backed down afterward. But it wasn’t like there was zero damage. And he hasn’t backed down on other tariffs yet.
Yeah people don’t realize he isn’t bluffing about any of this stuff. He is just trying to get as many concessions out of them before he implements the tariffs anyway.
use that syrup to tar and feather the shit orange trashbag