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US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against Canada on Wednesday, describing the country as one of the "worst countries in the world to deal with" during an interview with political commentator Glenn Beck, days after Washington and Ottawa exchanged a fresh round of punishing tariffs.
Trump told Beck that Canada has "taken advantage of the United States for many decades," accusing Ottawa of imposing "unbelievable" tariffs and behaving as though the country were effectively a US state rather than a sovereign trading partner.
He argued that Washington no longer needs to tolerate the arrangement.
The president pointed to a $60 billion annual US trade deficit with Canada as justification for his stance, saying it was time to "teach Canada" that "they can no longer do this."
He also downplayed America's reliance on Canadian resources, saying that even if the US lost access to some Canadian goods, it would be only "a little inconvenient" since alternative suppliers could be found elsewhere. Trump added that he had previously offered Canada a "pretty good deal" before negotiations broke down.
Trump's comments follow a sharp deterioration in trade relations between the two countries.
On Aug. 22, the United States imposed 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, with an additional 50% tariff on automotive and steel products scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Canada responded by announcing counter-tariffs of between 15% and 50% on CAN$27.6 billion ($20 billion) worth of US imports, set to begin Sept. 8.
The United States and Canada share one of the world's largest bilateral trading relationships, governed in recent years by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020.
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