It’s so damn hard for ignorant and intellectually stunted MAGAts to understand this concept, among others… like per capita.
Trump hits back at Carney, threatens to hike auto, truck, metals tariffs to 50%
Canada ranks as the third-largest source of U.S. imports, with more than $380 billion worth of goods brought over the border in 2025.
President Donald Trump on Monday hit back at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who on Friday had announced he would retaliate against any new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
Canada ranks as the third-highest source of U.S. imports. In 2025, more than $380 billion worth of goods were brought over the border, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Monday’s escalation follows a wave of new tariffs that hit Canada early Saturday after weekslong negotiations between Washington and Ottawa broke down.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country will initiate retaliatory tariffs against U.S. imports starting Sept. 8. The move came hours after the Trump administration began enforcing 50% tariffs on a slew of Canadian goods.
At a press conference on Saturday, Carney likened the U.S. actions against Canada to a conflict. “You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,” he said.
Trade negotiations between the United States and Canada fell apart Friday night, shortly before a midnight deadline for the 50% tariffs to take effect on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, including some dairy products, alcoholic beverages, cement and hockey equipment.
How is Trump imposing these tariffs?
To impose these 50% tariffs, Trump reached back to a long-dormant Great Depression-era law: Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
When the U.S. and world economies were in collapse nearly a century ago, Congress passed the 1930 law as part of broader “Smoot-Hawley” legislation (named after its congressional sponsors). The act raised tariffs more generally across the board, and became notorious among economists for limiting world commerce and making the Great Depression worse. But Section 338 — which authorizes the president to slap import taxes of up to 50% on imports from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses — has never been used specifically to raise tariffs until now.
No investigation is required to justify the levies. Nor is there any limit on how long they can stay in place. Since there’s no precedent, however, the latest tariffs may also see more legal challenges.
When announcing his planned tariffs last month, Trump claimed that Canada was unfairly discriminating against U.S. exports of automobiles, alcohol and dairy products. The president expressed anger over Canada’s retaliation against his own tariffs last year — noting Canadian imports of American alcohol and cars started to fall last spring.