Canada is merely first in line

All of America’s allies should prepare for Trump’s coercion

Earlier this week, it appeared as if the Trump administration was going to follow through on its threat to impose a sweeping 25 percent tariff across the board on Canadian exports to the United States. Canada owes the United States “a lot of money, and I’m sure they’re going to pay,” President Donald Trump claimed. “We may have, short term, some little pain, and people understand that. But long term, the United States has been ripped off by virtually every country in the world.” Ottawa was sent scrambling for a response and announced a set of retaliatory tariffs, targeting $150 billion on an array of U.S. products, including appliances, machinery, and agricultural goods. “Tariffs against Canada will put [U.S.] jobs at risk, potentially shutting down American auto assembly plants and other manufacturing facilities,” warned Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.