Who could’a thunk it? From Bloomberg:
US President Donald Trump pledged to double the auto tariff on Canadian vehicles and parts starting next year, escalating the spiraling trade fight between the two economies.
Trump posted on Monday that “Tariffs on all Cars, Trucks, both large and small, Automotive Parts, and Steel” would rise to 50%, effective Jan. 1. The current auto rate is 25% but is applied only to non-US content. Imported steel already faces a 50% charge.
The currently announced (don’t bet against TACO!) Sec 338 tariffs will hurt the US in specific geographic areas. Hitting the US – Canada auto assembly complex, well…that seems like a bit of unprecedented self-harm
Note that the threat is set to start at the new year…
Trump: WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!
Oh, if he only knew — or anyone honest in the administration would have the nerve to tell him.
The entire trade deficit is accounted for by the US buying crude oil, natural gas and hydro-electricity from Canada. Carney could just flip a switch and blackout large portions of Maine, Vermont, New York, Michigan and Minnesota. The ripple effects would extend much further. This would cost Canada almost nothing.
Even more crucial is the potash absolutely necessary for agricultural fertilizer. 85% comes from Canada. Carney could cut that off and instantly put out of business most of the agriculture in the US. China’s rare earths export limits might demolish the US manufacturing and defense industries, but Canada’s potash export controls would literally starve the US.
Even easier would be a Digital Services Tax that would hit the MAGA techbro oligarchs right where it hurts. But this would also hurt Canadians with higher taxes, so even better would be just outright piracy. US media empires are built on just a string of bits. Just take them for free. There’s no reason Canada should buckle under to IP laws imposed on them by a US dictator who has declared war on their sovereignty.
No one among the sycophants in the administration will tell Trump the truth on US vulnerabilities so maybe Carney will just have to show him.
And today here is one of the sycophants:
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on a trade war with Canada: “There’s no possible way it can really affect US well-being”
This is what Trump hears from his team every day. That same sort of advice he got from Hegseth that his war on Iran would be over in two weeks. The same sort of advice he’s now getting from Bessent for his war on bond traders.
That’s a lot of badly managed wars, all at once.
Trump today: Iran is collapsing financially. They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately.
Wait, Trump has been telling us for a month that the strait was already open. Was he lying to us?
And why didn’t they think to do the sanctions before they started their $100 billion war? I’m guessing that Trump and Hegseth just get a childish thrill from blowing things up.
It’s curious that we haven’t heard from the usual Trump apologists (CoRev and Bruce Hall) for quite some time. Crickets. Maybe they finally realized that Trump is an incompetent toddler who has no business being in the White House. One can only hope.
What are you talking about?? Why…… the other day I had a flat tire, pulled into the Walgreens parking lot and bumped into Bruce Hall. He said his favorite place to be overcharged and purchase expired food was Walgreens. I thanked him for the tip. Then he told me that FOX news said that both the leader of Canada and the leaders of Iran were feeling mortal terror over what donald trump would do to them the tomorrow, after the tomorrow of tomorrow’s tomorrow. I said “Bruce, what do you mean the tomorrow, after the tomorrow of tomorrow’s tomorrow??” Bruce told me that only he, Natalie Harp, and Bari Weiss knew.