Trump warns EU and Canada not to team up to resist tariffs—they must take the beating or worse will follow
President Trump is warning the EU and Canada not to get any ideas about joining forces to outmaneuver his upcoming tariff announcements, saying if they team up against the U.S. they will face consequences.
Next Wednesday is a day of reckoning for the Trump administration—and indeed for economies across the world. “Liberation Day,” as Trump has called it, will confirm further tariff action against a raft of countries.
While Trump has conceded that the policies announced may not be at the most extreme end of the scale, he is already threatening key trading partners with tougher sanctions than planned if they try to harm America in return for tariffs.
Writing on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, Trump wrote in the early hours of this morning: “If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large-scale tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had!”
It is worth noting here that the EU is not a country.
It is unclear precisely what deals Trump believes the EU and Canada are drawing up to damage U.S. interests.
However, the tirade came shortly after Trump announced a 25% tariff on all autos entering America, regardless of their country of origin.
This prompted a firm response from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who warned in a statement that “tariffs are taxes—bad for businesses, worse for consumers equally in the U.S. and the European Union.”
Von der Leyen added that the EU will assess the impact of the automotive tariff—a key industry for the EU—and other measures expected to be announced by President Trump in the coming days.
“The EU will continue to seek negotiated solutions, while safeguarding its economic interests,” the statement added.
Meanwhile Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, described the auto tariffs as a “very direct attack” adding: “We will defend our workers. We will defend our companies. We will defend our country.”