Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariffs over China trade deal: What we know

Trump delivers World Economic Forum special address

President Trump delivers special address at World Economic Forum amid Greenland controversy. 

President Donald Trump is threatening a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada over its potential trade deal with China.

Trump made the threat Saturday on his Truth Social account.

Why is Trump threatening Canada?

What they're saying:

Trump said if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney "thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken."

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The other side:

Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump attend the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, on December 5, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Big picture view:

While Trump has waged a trade war over the past year, Canada this month negotiated a deal to lower tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower import taxes on Canadian farm products.

Trump initially had said that agreement was what Carney "should be doing and it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal." By Saturday he had changed his tune. 

‘War of words’ with Canada

Dig deeper:

Trump’s threat comes amid an escalating exchange with Canada as Trump’s push to acquire Greenland strains the NATO alliance. Trump had commented while in Davos, Switzerland, this week that "Canada lives because of the United States." Carney shot back that his nation can be an example that the world does not have to bend toward autocratic tendencies.

MORE: Greenland latest: Trump says framework deal reached with NATO, cancels tariff threat

Trump later revoked his invitation to Carney to join the president's "Board of Peace" that he is forming to try to resolve global conflicts.

Trump has repeatedly needled Canada over its sovereignty and suggested it also be absorbed by the United States as a 51st state.

He resumed that this week, posting an altered image on social media showing a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland and Cuba as part of its territory.

In his message Saturday, Trump continued his provocations by calling Canada's leader "Governor Carney." Trump had used the same nickname for Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, and his use of it toward Carney was the latest mark of their soured relationship.

What's next:

Carney has not yet reached a deal with Trump to reduce some of the tariffs that he has imposed on key sectors of the Canadian economy. But Canada has been protected by the heaviest impact of Trump’s tariffs by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. That trade agreement is up for a review this year.