Larger tariffs could be imposed on Canada, EU if they cause US ‘economic harm’: Trump
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had said retaliatory measures were being considered.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on March 27 that larger tariffs could be placed on the European Union and Canada if they both work together “to do economic harm to the USA”.
“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,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
On March 26, Mr Trump unveiled a 25 per cent tariff on imported vehicles
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the move as “bad for businesses, worse for consumers”, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney labelled the tariffs a “direct attack” on Canadian workers and said retaliatory measures were being considered.
The new levies on cars and light trucks will take effect on April 3, the day after Mr Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs aimed at the countries responsible for the bulk of the US trade deficit.
They come on top of duties already introduced on steel and aluminum, and on goods from Mexico, Canada and China.
The EU has said it will delay its first set of counter-measures to mid-April, including a 50 per cent tariff on US bourbon. In response, Mr Trump threatened to slap a 200 per cent tariff on all wines and other alcoholic products
