Canada wants US state privileges despite not being one, says Trump

US President Donald Trump said Canada is seeking privileges granted to US states despite not being part of the United States, he wrote on his Truth Social account.

“Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!” the president noted.

The US president also accused authorities in the neighboring country of imposing “massive amounts of tariffs” on American farmers for many years.

Trump’s remarks come amid escalating trade tensions between the two countries. In July 2026, the Trump administration imposed additional 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, citing Canada’s discriminatory treatment of US dairy products, motor vehicles, and alcoholic beverages, including restrictive tariff-rate quotas on cheese that favor European Union suppliers over American ones.

After a temporary pause and intensive negotiations, the talks collapsed over the past two days, leading the United States to implement the tariffs effective August 22 on items ranging from wine and cement to hockey equipment, covering about 5% of Canadian exports to the US.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by suspending negotiations and announcing dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on US goods in sectors such as steel, dairy, and appliances, set to take effect September 8.

By Jeyhun Aghazada