Trump defends 50% tariffs on Canada, saying ‘they need us to survive’

Donald Trump has defended his caller 50% tariffs connected astir Canadian goods, claiming nan state cannot past without nan US.

The White House announced nan sweeping information of import duties – owed to travel into effect adjacent period – connected Monday, igniting caller tensions betwixt Washington and Ottawa.

Mark Carney, nan Canadian premier minister, said his state was “united” successful nan look of specified threats. He said pinch Trump earlier connected Tuesday.

“Canada has been very, very reliable connected america complete nan years, for galore years, and nary different president’s done thing astir it,” nan US president said successful nan Oval Office. “In each fairness to them, they request america to survive. Without us, there’s nary measurement they tin survive.”

Earlier this week, nan White House said that nan caller levies were because Canada has unfairly discriminated against US cars, intoxicant and dairy products. The tariffs will spell into effect successful 30 days, leaving clip for imaginable discussions betwixt nan 2 countries.

Carney told reporters: “We agreed to intensify negotiations successful nan coming weeks, and nan squad and myself look guardant to doing that.”

The tariffs will deed a wide scope of products, nan White House said, including wine, lucky sticks and cement. They besides see equipment antecedently protected from import taxes nether nan United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement.

Trump told members of nan property that nan latest information of tariffs was not successful consequence to nan Canadian wildfire fume that dispersed crossed North America past week.

On Friday, Trump blasted Canada for its consequence to nan persistent wildfires and nan fume that affected astir 109 cardinal group crossed nan midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-east.

“The costs is incalculable!” Trump raged connected societal media. “This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing nan United States Billions of Dollars, which costs of this contamination must of necessity beryllium added to nan TARIFFS Canada is presently paying.”

However, nan president told reporters connected Tuesday that his management was looking astatine those tariffs “separately”.