President Donald Trump issued a late-night warning about potentially imposing “much larger” tariffs on the European Union and Canada if they join forces to retaliate against his tariffs.
Trump expressed this warning in an early Thursday post on Truth Social.
“If the European Union collaborates with Canada to harm the economy of the USA, then substantial Tariffs, much greater than currently planned, will be imposed on both, in order to protect the best friend that each of those nations has ever had!” Trump stated in the post.
Trump has hinted at targeting both the E.U. and Canada in his upcoming “Liberation Day” tariff announcements next week. While he has previously suggested increasing duties against them in recent weeks, he has not yet taken direct action against these nations.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that tariffs would be imposed on all automobiles and auto parts not produced in the United States starting April 3. While these tariffs would impact Canadian and E.U. companies, they were not specifically directed at them.
The E.U. and Canada have not made any official statement about collaborating to harm the U.S. But both have indicated they could retaliate against the latest tariffs.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned on Wednesday that the E.U. “will continue to pursue negotiated solutions while protecting its economic interests.”
“Tariffs are taxes — detrimental to businesses and even worse for consumers, both in the U.S. and the European Union,” she stated in her remarks.
New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described Trump’s action as “a direct attack” and informed reporters that he would convene a high-level Cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss a response.
“We will defend our workers, we will protect our companies, we will safeguard our country, and we will do it collectively,” he stated in Kitchener, Ontario, according to Reuters.
