US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, notifying him of the introduction of import tariffs on goods from Canada, effective August 1. He published the letter on his Truth Social page.
“Effective August 1, the United States will impose a 35% tariff on Canadian products shipped to the United States, in addition to industrial tariffs,“ the letter said. The White House chief warned Ottawa not to retaliate, stressing that in such a case Washington would add to the announced 35% “whatever number you choose“.
Trump justified his decision by citing Canada's failure to stop the smuggling of fentanyl, while noting that the current tariff plan could be changed if Canada worked with the United States to combat the flow of the drug. In addition, the US president cited tariff and non-tariff restrictions on trade, a trade deficit and a 400% tariff on American dairy products as reasons for introducing new duties in August. The tariff schedule could change depending on the state of bilateral relations, the head of the US administration added.
The United States is imposing a 35% tariff on imports of goods from Canada starting next month and plans to impose general tariffs of 15 or 20% on most of its other trading partners, US President Donald Trump said, quoted by Reuters.
In a letter published on his social network "Truth Social", Trump told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that the new rate would take effect on August 1 and would be increased if Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs.
In recent days, Trump has expanded his trade war, imposing new tariffs on a number of countries, including his allies Japan and South Korea, along with a 50% tariff on copper.
In an interview with "NBC News", broadcast last night, the US president said that other US trading partners that have not yet received letters will likely be subject to the general tariffs.
"Not everyone will get a letter. You know that. We just set our tariffs," Trump said. "We want to tell all the other countries that they will pay, whether it's 20% or 15%. We'll figure it out now," he added.