U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Canada could face sweeping new trade penalties if it moves forward with a major commercial agreement with China, escalating tensions between Washington and Ottawa and injecting new uncertainty into North American trade relations.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump said the United States would impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods if Prime Minister Mark Carney pursued closer economic ties with Beijing.
“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.,” Trump wrote.
The warning comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Trump and Carney in recent days, following remarks by the Canadian leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos that appeared to challenge the dominance of major global powers.
Carney recently met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and announced a trade framework that includes provisions on electric vehicles, easing tariffs on Chinese EVs while China lowers duties on Canadian agricultural exports. At the time, Trump publicly described the potential agreement as “a good thing,” making his latest comments a notable shift.
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It remains unclear whether the Canada–China deal has formally taken effect or whether Trump was referring to that agreement specifically. The BBC reported it had contacted the White House, Carney’s office, and Canada’s trade ministry for clarification.
In his post, Trump referred to the Canadian leader as “Governor Carney,” reviving a line of rhetoric he has used before when suggesting Canada should be treated as a U.S. state.
He added that if Carney “thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken.”
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Trump did not specify when or how the proposed tariff would be implemented, nor did he outline legal or procedural steps toward such a move.
Last year, Trump similarly floated steep tariffs on Canadian imports and referred to Canada as America’s “51st state,” even suggesting the U.S. could seek to acquire the country — remarks that were widely rejected in Ottawa.
While bilateral relations had shown signs of stabilizing in recent months, Trump’s renewed focus on trade and security has put Canada at odds with Washington once again.
Trump has also recently clashed with European allies over his push to assert control over Greenland and his criticism of NATO, issues that have resonated with Canadian leaders.
Speaking earlier this month about the agreement with Beijing, Carney said Canada was adapting to changing global realities.
“The world has changed,” he told reporters, adding that the deal positions Canada “well for the new world order.”
Carney also said Canada’s relationship with China had become “more predictable” than its ties with the United States under the Trump administration — a remark that underscored growing unease in Ottawa over Washington’s trade posture.
