President Donald Trump kept up his trade policy flip-flopping on Saturday, stating the U.S. would impose a 100% tariff on Canada should it strike a trade agreement with China.
In a social media message, he cautioned Canada against turning into a “drop-off port” for Chinese goods bound for the U.S.
“China will devour Canada completely—destroying its businesses, social fabric, and overall way of life,” Trump added. “If Canada makes a deal with China, all Canadian goods and products entering the U.S.A. will immediately face a 100% tariff.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, China and Canada reached an agreement to reduce trade barriers. This includes cuts to Chinese tariffs on certain Canadian agricultural products and lowered Canadian tariffs on 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).
When questioned about the deal, Trump expressed his approval.
“Well, that’s fine—you should be doing that. I mean, it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that, right?” he said on January 15.
Days later, Carney delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, warning of a “rupture” in the global order. This came after Trump threatened tariffs on NATO allies unless they backed his plan to take over Greenland.
Without naming Trump directly, Carney also denounced using “tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.”
Trump walked back his NATO tariff threat and agreed to a “framework” for a Greenland deal, as well as his planned “Golden Dome” missile shield. The administration has not provided further details, but reports suggest the framework could involve mineral and basing rights.
Last year, Trump vowed to impose tariffs on Canada and the rest of the world. However, those tariffs do not apply to imports covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact.
It remains unclear from Trump’s Saturday social media post whether the 100% tariff on Canada would remove that exemption. Additionally, it’s not clear what defines a trade deal between Canada and China—given the two countries already reached an agreement earlier.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This latest announcement follows a recent trend of Trump signaling renewed willingness to wield tariffs.
Beyond the NATO tariffs, he previously said the U.S. would impose secondary levies on countries trading with Iran as he seeks to pressure Tehran amid anti-regime protests. This could derail his tariff ceasefire with China, which imports oil from Iran.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has yet to rule on Trump’s authority to apply tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—a linchpin of his trade policy.