President Donald Trump defended his recent tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night – and hinted that the European Union may suffer a similar fate.
The tariffs, which were authorized in an executive order on Saturday, will go into effect Tuesday. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 25% additional tariff will be levied on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on imports from China.
In the executive order, Trump said that the tariffs stem from an “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, [that] constitutes a national emergency.”
The tariffs have invited international criticism from leaders and citizens alike in Canada and Mexico. During his exchange with reporters on Sunday evening, Trump accused Canada of being “abusive” toward the U.S. in terms of trade.
TRUMP IMPOSES TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA: ‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’
President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2, 2025. (TIERNEY CROSS/AFP via Getty Images)
“Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don’t allow our banks,” Trump claimed. “And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That’s pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don’t allow them to go in.”
“Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don’t allow our farm products in, essentially. They don’t allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street.”
Trump also claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada “by the tune of about $200 billion a year.”
“And for what? What do we get out of it? We don’t get anything out of it,” he added. “I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada and something is going to happen there.”
The Republican leader also said that he will “definitely” impose tariffs against the European Union, which he said the U.S. has a $300 billion trade deficit with.
“They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our farm products, they take almost nothing,” Trump said. “And we take everything from them. Millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products. So the UK is way out of line and we’ll see the UK, but the European Union is really out of line.”
In a statement on Saturday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country “categorically reject[s] the White House’s slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory.”
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President Donald Trump said Canada has not been fair to the United States. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but anywhere,” the statement read. “Therefore, if the United States wants to combat criminal groups that traffic drugs and generate violence, we must work together in an integrated manner, but always under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, collaboration and, above all, respect for sovereignty, which is not negotiable.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to “buy Canada” in response to the tariffs.
“Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada,” Trudeau wrote on X. “Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada.”
During Sunday’s exchange with reporters, Trump also discussed the prospect of cutting off aid to South Africa after its president signed a controversial land seizure measure.
“Terrible things are happening in South Africa,” Trump said. “The leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things. So that’s under investigation right now.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago before Trump took office a second time. Now, the two leaders are at odds over trade. (Justin Trudeau X)
His remarks came after he accused South Africa of “treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY” in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
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“It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention,” Trump’s statement read. “A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
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- llgl75210 hours agoHow many US businesses has China destroyed by producing cheap products? Maybe these tariffs will bring back US produced products. Many products the US is dependent on is bought from China….it’s a national security issue. Make these products in the USA.Reply41131Share
- llibhunter6243 hours agoOur company was one of them after being blackmailed by Walmart to produce at the cost of China. A group of manufacturers then sued Walmart to force them to take “Made in America” off their trucks. So if the truth be told, American consumers are the ones responsible for this mess. Their love of che…See moreReply1232Share
- BBillWilson6773 minutes agoTHE BOOMERS DID THIS!!!ReplyShare
- punisher2strike7 hours ago China is the main supplier of key ingredients for many drugs sold in the United States, including generic drugs, over-the-counter medications, and prescription drugs. Did we learn anything from Covid-19?Reply29Share8 replies
- ppayman3 minutes agoOne of the companies I consult with has to pay VAT taxes on their product plus “fees” before they can sell in Canada making their products less competitive, yet the same in Canada can just come into the US without any barriers and sell the same types of products. Something has to happen to make a …See moreReply1Share
- BBigBabyJesus012 minutes agoTrump is going to actually destroy American businesses with his trade war.ReplyShare
- AAP3M132 minutes agoWhich country chooses to outsource to China? Interestingly, the Republicans initiated this trend under Nixon and Kissinger. President Richard Nixon lifted the 21-year-old trade embargo and the rest is history.ReplyShare
- llibhunter6243 hours agoOur company was one of them after being blackmailed by Walmart to produce at the cost of China. A group of manufacturers then sued Walmart to force them to take “Made in America” off their trucks. So if the truth be told, American consumers are the ones responsible for this mess. Their love of che…See moreReply1232Share
- TTheRealSlimMcCoy10 hours agoWhy is it OK to income-tax US citizens 25-30% (or more), but people are upset about tariffs at 25%? It’s about time!Reply1067Share
- BBeyondthedemocrats28 minutes agoSimple answer is liberal indoctrination. To many fiscally uneducated people who think with their heart only as their brain was never thought the reality of true finance and math. Our education system needs an overhaul to combat ignorance.Reply183Share
- ricto022 minutes agoI voted for Trump and am a CPA – these tariffs will not work out good for any of the countries- not about math.ReplyShare
- TTrog7259 minutes agoTaxes were fixed and known. 25% tariffs if left in place raise prices on consumer and also damage jobs. I remember when Trump created 1000 domestic steel jobs but put 40-60k us workers out of jobs that depended on cheap steel from China. Reply1024Share9 replies
- CCamP9813 minutes agoI’m don’t approve of either. Income tax is a form of slavery. ReplyShare
- llonestar26262 minutes agoYou’re not understanding how tariffs work. A tariff is essentially a sales tax – which is in the end paid by the consumer (in this case the US consumer). ReplyShare
- BBeyondthedemocrats28 minutes agoSimple answer is liberal indoctrination. To many fiscally uneducated people who think with their heart only as their brain was never thought the reality of true finance and math. Our education system needs an overhaul to combat ignorance.Reply183Share
- mmichaelbluth6801 hour agoAs a Canadian, I suspect by the end of this, Canadians will be better off, from day 1 this wasn’t about drugs or any of the reasons politicians have been spouting, it’s about a very specific list that US presidents have been complaining about for decades.Why don’t we have US telecoms in Canada comp…See moreReply382Share
- riveroftears80317 minutes agoAnd also non-Canadians who own property in Canada get hit when they try to sell – but Canadians who sell property in the US don’t. There is tons. But it’s not Canada’s fault – it’s ours for letting it happen. Reply6Share
- SSC90417 minutes agoYou’re correct. I do business in Canada, and its a nightmare. The cost of goods going to Canada astounds me when taxes are added. I have many friends in Canada, and I’m always bring “things” when I visit. Reply5Share
- DDawgThunder10 hours agoIt doesn’t matter what he does or doesn’t do, the media is going to bash him. He could walk across water and they’d bash him for not knowing how to swim. Tariffs have been used in the US since colonial times, going as high as 60% during some periods. The only reason it’s a big deal now is because t…See moreReply24742Share
- eenico10 hours agoJust like history has taught us, even during the great events of the world, those who are on the wrong side ultimately do not succeed. Only time will tell. This time shall be told in history.Reply202Share2 replies
- tombstone12310 hours agoTrump knows he will be knocked by 80% of the media and he also knows people don’t trust the legacy media to deliver the whole story. The beauty of a failing legacy media and a blooming social media is that he can just ignore them and make his case directly to the people through social media. Reply10918Share16 replies
- sstewed10 hours agoPanama just announced it is not renewing its agreement with China after our American envoy met with the president of Panama. Another win for America! Reply38822Share
- southernman210 hours agoThe U.S. is the largest consumer market on the face of the earth. Let’s see how long Canada and Mexico can stand the economic pressure. All President Trump is asking for is fair trade. If they had made adjustments in their unfair trade practices on their own, they would not have egg on their fac…See moreReply14840Share44 replies
- wwhatever!!!!!!5108 hours agoWell done Rubio. That’s a good news in middle of a drama weekReply403Share2 replies
- EE.F.Hutton4 hours agoPeople illegally crossing from Canada to the US is 1.5% of all illegal crossings by USA’s own numbers. And the US seized 21,148 pounds of fentanyl last year, 17.6 pounds from Canada, while Canada seized 10.8 pounds coming from the US.These tariffs have nothing to do with it.Reply14Share3 replies
- llizbiz1 hour agoTWO MAJOR CANADIAN FOOD COMPANIES… said they will move their company to the USA due to tariffs and the lowering of corporate taxes … ITS WORKING …. give it time Reply232Share
- bohfman1 hour agoSource? Which ones?Reply6Share2 replies
- IIndependentbeliever10 hours agoTrump is 100% right about everything that he said about Canada.The tariffs are completely justified. Trump is the equalizer. More importantly, all those tariffs will be part of getting rid of the income tax.Reply12673Share
- llonestar262610 hours agoYou are right that this is likely just a smokescreen to impose a hidden sales tax (in the form of tariffs) on US Consumers so he can fund his income tax cuts. The issue that most Americans aren’t realizing – tariffs will hit lower and middle income Americans harder (ie they’ll pay more of this hid…See moreReply3537Share6 replies
- rrobq8 hours agoIf the Canadians were smart they would wait until there is a cold snap on the eastern seaboard and then experience “technical difficulties” and cut the electrical supply.They should. But they won’t, because they are good neighbors. Better than we deserve.Reply32Share2 replies
- jjeffe4628462810 hours agoThe markets are overreacting to trump tariffs. We have 25% tariffs in Washington state against the citizens of the state. They tariff us 25% on alcohol and 25 % on marijuana.Reply6Share
- hheavenhelpus202310 hours agoTariffs = taxes. Six of one, and 1/2 dozen of the other.Reply4Share
- hheavenhelpus202310 hours agoTariffs = taxes. Six of one, and 1/2 dozen of the other.Reply4Share
- 996ULTRACLASSIC-USA10 hours agoThis is as much a wake up call for China because if we hold Canada to account for not allowing our products and a trade deficit that benefits them, guess what’s coming for China and countries like Japan that restrict our car Imports while they flood our markets.Reply309Share
- tturryburry10 hours agoThis is a wake up call to all of our allies that being the US’s closest allies means absolutely nothing under Trump. This isn’t going to turn out well for us.Reply3216Share5 replies
- 1812and19759 hours agoAll Trump did was make China look like a more reliable trading partner for other countries including Canada, who happen to like the Chinese about as much as Americans. Not any more amigo. Reply218Share3 replies
