President Donald Trump says Canada ‘wants the benefits of being a state, without being one’ in first comments after trade negotiations collapsed
President Donald Trump makes his first public comments since U.S.-Canada trade negotiations collapsed.
Trump made the remarks in an early morning post on Truth Social, “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!”
He added: “They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!”
Background on the trade collapse
Trade talks between Ottawa and Washington broke down after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected last-minute changes to the proposed U.S. terms.
Carney called the changes “unfair, uneconomic” and said they “called into question the reliability of any deal.” He suspended negotiations and ordered Canada’s trade team back to Ottawa.
The breakdown followed weeks of negotiations. Trump threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on nearly $20 billion of Canadian imports. He briefly paused the tariffs, saying the two sides were close to an agreement, before U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods took effect.
The tariffs apply to roughly 5 percent of Canadian exports to the U.S., including wine, dairy, cement, clothing, hockey equipment, honey, seeds and other agricultural products.
Carney’s response and retaliation plan
Carney described the new U.S. tariffs as an economic “attack” on Canada and said Ottawa would impose dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs beginning September 8.
At a press conference, Carney said Canada would “match Washington’s new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families and businesses.”
According to Time, Carney told reporters: “As a result, this evening, I have decided to suspend trade negotiations with the U.S. and have directed Canada’s negotiators to return to Ottawa.”
U.S. trade representative’s account
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington had offered Canada more favorable terms than other trading partners.
According to MS NOW, Greer said he had agreed to provide “better treatment to Canada than any other country,” including “significant tariff reductions on steel, aluminum, autos and lumber.”
Greer said Canada declined to finalize a deal under terms the two sides had reportedly agreed to earlier in the week and instead sought additional concessions, according to The Epoch Times.
Reaction from Canadian provincial leaders
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Trump “can’t be trusted,” according to MEAWW.
Canadian officials have repeatedly rejected Trump’s suggestion that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state. After Trump shared an article about Canada’s economy captioned “51st State!”, Ford said: “we’ll never be a 51st state. Canada is not for sale.”
CBC News reported that some Republicans have also expressed concern that the new tariffs could be a strategic mistake, highlighting divisions within the party over the administration’s trade policies.
Public opinion in Canada
Polling conducted before the talks collapsed showed broad Canadian support for a firm negotiating position.
An Angus Reid Institute survey from July found that 65 percent of Canadians believed their government should approach the U.S. cautiously, viewing it as a potential threat or enemy.
A Léger poll conducted in August found that 56 percent of Canadian respondents wanted the federal government to make no further concessions to Washington, compared with 31 percent who favored greater flexibility.
The USMCA’s uncertain future
The tariffs apply to some products previously protected under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which took effect in 2020 and replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The USMCA remains in force, but its future has come under scrutiny after the U.S. declined to renew the pact for another 16-year term during the 2026 joint review process.
Under the agreement’s rules, the three countries will now conduct annual reviews through 2036 unless one party formally withdraws.