Trump ramps up attacks on Canada as retaliatory tariffs take effect

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Canada, a day after Washington's northern neighbour announced new retaliatory tariffs in response to the latest US trade measures, further escalating the persistent trade war between the two countries.

Speaking by phone to right-wing radio host Glenn Beck on August 26, Caliber.Az reports that Trump accused Ottawa of having “taken advantage of the United States for many decades.”

“They are one of the worst countries in the world to deal with there, and this has gone on for many years,” he said.

Trump also criticized what he described as “unbelievable” Canadian tariffs on certain US dairy products, which have long been part of Ottawa's protected agricultural trade regime. He compared them with US restrictions on imported beef and boasted about his efforts to overhaul the economic relationship between Washington and Ottawa through his trade policies.

“I just said we're taking them on, and I took them on at the beginning, but we had so many other things to do because the country was a mess. But I said we're going to take them on,” Trump said.

The president further claimed that Canada, one of the United States' largest trading partners and an important source of energy, does not “have anything that we have to have,” suggesting that Americans “can get by” without Canadian trade.

Escalating feud between neighbours

Trump's comments came a day after the Canadian government responded to his latest tariffs with a new package of retaliatory measures against US goods.

Canada, which imports roughly $272 billion worth of US goods each year, will double its existing counter-tariffs on American steel and aluminium to 50%. Ottawa will also impose new tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% on more than $20 billion worth of around 700 US products, including clothing, furniture, video game consoles and other electronics.

Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said earlier this week that Ottawa “must respond” to Trump's latest trade measures.

“We did not choose this conflict, but when our economic integration is used as a weapon rather than the foundation for a win-win partnership, we need to stand up,” he said.

The latest Canadian measures follow Trump's decision to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian products on August 22, affecting around $20 billion worth of goods. The move came only days after the two countries had announced a deal.

Two days later, Trump announced additional tariffs on Canadian automobiles, saying the existing duties would be doubled to 50% from January 1.

The escalating measures mark another sharp deterioration in the economic relationship between the two closely integrated North American economies, with both governments showing little indication that the trade dispute is nearing an end.

By Nazrin Sadigova