Donald Trump intensified his trade dispute with Canada after Ontario imposed a 25% electricity surcharge on Michigan, Minnesota, and New York in retaliation for his tariffs on Canadian imports. The surcharge, impacting up to 1.5 million businesses and homes, is estimated to cost up to $400,000 per day.
Trump reacted strongly, suggesting he might declare a national emergency in response. On Truth Social, he questioned why the U.S. relied on Canada for electricity and condemned the surcharge as a political weapon. “Can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, which affects innocent people’s lives, as a bargaining chip and threat?” he wrote.
He warned that Canada would face severe financial consequences, saying, “They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!”
Shortly before that post, Trump announced new tariffs of up to 50% on aluminum and steel imports from Canada, set to take effect Wednesday. He also threatened significant tariff hikes on Canadian automobile imports while increasing his rhetoric against the U.S.’s long-standing ally.
In an earlier post, Trump criticized Canada’s defense spending, claiming the U.S. subsidizes its security by over $200 billion annually. He proposed an unconventional solution: making Canada the 51st U.S. state. “This would make all tariffs and everything else totally disappear,” he argued. He envisioned a unified nation where the Canadian anthem, O Canada, would continue to be played but as part of a “GREAT and POWERFUL STATE” within the U.S.
