President Donald Trump unleashed a trade thunderbolt Tuesday, hiking tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to a bruising 50% starting Wednesday—an extra 25% tacked onto existing levies. He pinned the move on Ontario’s 25% surcharge jolting electricity bills for 1.5 million Americans across three states.
“Canada’s tariff game is one of the worst,” Trump raged on Truth Social. “I’ve ordered my Commerce Secretary to double down—50% on all their steel and aluminum crossing our border!”
The decision resurrects Trump’s rocky trade spat with Canada, briefly sidelined last week after market chaos forced a pause. Not stopping there, he threatened to hammer Canadian cars with tariffs on April 2 unless Canada retreats, adding, “Why not make Canada our 51st state? Tariffs would vanish overnight!”
Stocks took a nosedive as investors recoiled. Canada’s Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney, sworn in after a Liberal rout Sunday, stood firm: “Tariffs remain until the U.S. gets serious about fair trade.”
Trump’s past metal tariffs gutted Canadian exports—aluminum dropped 50% in 2019—and Monday’s market meltdown suggests more trouble brewing. Brushing off recession fears on Fox News, Trump shrugged, “I hate forecasting gloom,” leaving many unconvinced his tariff gambit will spark growth instead of chaos.