Donald Trump hits back after Canadian Premier slaps major tax increase on electricity for Americans
Tensions between Canada and the United States regarding their trade war are reaching a boiling point.
Following a sharp increase in electricity taxes imposed by the Premier of Canada on neighboring U.S. states, Donald Trump has vowed that the United States will take swift retaliatory action in response.
President Donald Trump wasted no time in imposing “catastrophic” tariffs on the U.S.’s neighboring trading partners almost immediately after taking office for his second term in January, signaling that the trade war with Canada remains heated. Trump justified the tariffs by citing trade imbalances and immigration issues, as well as accusing Canada, Mexico, and China of failing to halt the flow of illicit drugs crossing into the U.S.
In February, Trump vowed to increase tariffs by 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico. However, in light of retaliation threats, he paused the plan for a month, extending it until March 4. Additional tariffs are expected to take effect on April 2.
To add fuel to the fire, the president suggested that Canada could avoid the planned tariff hikes if it became the “cherished 51st state” of the U.S., referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “Governor of Canada.”
In response, Trudeau announced that Canada would apply counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, while Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, warned of price hikes or even cutting power to 1.5 million U.S. citizens residing in Minnesota, New York, and Michigan.
Currently, it appears that Ford is holding firm in his position, ready to take drastic action. With his finger metaphorically on the switch, he declared that he would “shut the electricity off completely” if the United States continues to “escalate.”
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Ford stated, “If the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to completely shut off the electricity. When I say that I don’t want to do this, believe me, I feel awful for the people of the United States because it is not the people who started this trade war. There is only one person responsible for this, and that person is President Trump.”
As a result of the electricity price hike, residents in three U.S. states could see their monthly energy bills rise by nearly $100.
During an interview with Fox Business, Premier Ford reiterated that the plan would proceed, calling it a “complete and utter catastrophe” and lamenting, “Isn’t it a shame that this is going to happen? He has brought about pandemonium.”
Ford further explained his position on Twitter, stating, “The only thing that is certain today is more uncertainty. Nothing will change if some tariffs are put on hold. Until President Trump removes the threat of tariffs for good, we will be relentless.”
In response, President Trump fired back, criticizing Ford’s approach and asserting that the punishment would only hurt Ontario in the long run.
He took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to say: “Despite Canada charging the USA 250% to 390% tariffs on many of our farm products…”
Ontario recently announced a 25% surcharge on electricity, a move that President Trump quickly denounced, stating, “You can’t just do that.” He stood firm on his position, adding, “The United States will just get it all back on April 2,” the date when the reciprocal tariff plan will officially take effect. Trump also made it clear that the days of financial assistance to Canada were over, claiming, “Canada has always been a tariff abuser, but we will no longer support you.”
He further emphasized, “You will soon realize that we don’t need your automobiles, lumber, or energy. We don’t need any of it.”
Mark Carney, the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada, has vowed to fight back against the trade war, calling the tariffs the “greatest crisis in our lifetime” for the people of Canada.
Since 1890, when the United States under President William McKinley, often referred to as the “tariff king,” imposed a fifty percent increase on all manufactured goods, the new tariffs introduced by President Trump are poised to mark the most significant shift in trade policy in over a century. These tariff increases represent the most dramatic change in U.S. trade relations since McKinley’s era.
