Trump Imposes 35% Tariff on Canada
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US President Donald Trump has announced that all imports from Canada will have a 35% tariff as of August 1. He sent a letter to the country’s president, Mark Carney, informing him of the new rate, which has also been posted on his Truth Social account.
Trump this spring imposed a 25% tariff on cars and car parts, including those from Canada. But certain cars and parts qualify for preferential treatment under the USMCA, meaning the 25% tariff applies only to the non-U.S. content of the automobile or part.
Canada is one of the United States' top trading partners, with more than $410 billion of goods crossing into the country last year.
In a letter to Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mr. Trump said that Mexico was not doing enough to curb the flow of fentanyl into the United States and cited that as the reason for the tariffs. Mr. Trump added that Mexican companies were welcome to manufacture their products in the United States to avoid the tariffs.
Canada became the latest country to be slapped with increased tariffs by the Trump administration on Thursday. Starting August 1,
Trump threatened to escalate tariffs beyond 35% if Canada opts to retaliate with tariffs on U.S. goods. Canadian goods are also subject to sector-specific tariffs, such as 50% levies on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on non-USMCA compliant autos and auto parts.
The letter reiterated Trump’s complaints about dairy quotas, fentanyl and the U.S. trade deficit, which is mostly fueled by American refineries’ thirst for Canadian oil. His social media post caused the Canadian dollar to immediately tumble, indicating the market wasn’t expecting this escalation.
The president revived his discredited claims about fentanyl entering the U.S. from Canada to justify his latest proposed rate of 35 percent.
If implemented, Trump's new 35 percent duties will be "separate from all Sectoral Tariffs," such as the 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports. Trump also promised that, if Canada raises its own tariffs in response, then "whatever number [Canada chooses] to raise them by, will be added onto the 35% that [the U.S. charges]."
President Donald Trump published a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday, accusing Canada of having "financially retaliated" against the U.S.
Trump, 79, notified Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of the incoming tariffs in a letter – one of dozens the president has fired off to foreign leaders this week ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline for