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Trump’s Tariff Threats
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that trade negotiations with the United States had turned “nasty” after President Donald Trump derided Canada and its leadership while threatening to expand tariffs.
“Carney said Thursday that trade negotiations with the United States had turned “nasty””
Carney said, “This is a tough negotiation,” and added, “You can say ‘nasty.’ But this is a question of Canadian jobs. It’s a question of the future of Canadian businesses.”
Trump criticized Canada during a speech Wednesday in Las Vegas, saying, “Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty,” and “Nasty leadership.”
The United States already has tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and automobiles, and Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on more Canadian goods beginning Aug. 19.
Carney said Canadian negotiators were in Washington this week and that he expected further conversations with Trump after speaking with him last week, while also saying Canada was “in the middle of a tariff war with the Americans.”
Talks in Washington
Canada’s trade officials met in Washington on Thursday, with Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief trade negotiator Janice Charette meeting U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
LeBlanc’s office said the meeting lasted more than one hour and 30 minutes despite being scheduled for only 30 minutes, and LeBlanc posted to X that it was “constructive and detailed” and focused on “striking a comprehensive deal that addresses sectoral tariffs and benefits Canadian workers, farmers and businesses.”
Carney told reporters in Saguenay, Que., that negotiators were focusing on “all strategic sectors,” including autos, and said, “We’re interested in a more comprehensive deal, a global deal that addresses the strategic sectors.”
Carney also said, “Will we get all of that by the 19th of August? We’ll see. But we want to have pathways in order to get that,” as the Aug. 19 deadline approached.
In the same period, Trump said at the Red Rock Casino rally, “I love tariffs, right? Because we’ve been screwed by tariffs used against us for years,” and added, “Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty.”
Jobs, Prices, and Leverage
Carney tied the dispute to the economic stakes for both countries, saying existing U.S. tariffs on aluminum contributed to a 58% increase in aluminum prices in the United States.
“Carney said existing U.S. tariffs on aluminum have contributed to a 58% increase in aluminum prices”
He warned, “That’s not a good situation for American companies,” while also describing the negotiations as a fight to protect Canadian workers and businesses.
The AP reported that Trump’s tariff threats and repeated suggestions that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state angered many Canadians, prompting many Canadians to cancel trips to the United States.
In Canada, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre argued that Carney needed to focus on results and said, “I don’t understand the strategy of making concession after concession after concession before even getting to the negotiating table,” while calling out Carney’s handling of the tariff dispute.
The sources also described the tariff deadline as a cliff moment, with the Canadian side arguing that there would be “no political appetite among Canadians to keep talks going if the tariffs come into place,” as both sides held daily meetings up to Aug. 19.
