Topline
Ontario Premier Doug Ford blasted President Donald Trump in a searing press conference Monday, calling him a “bully” and “dictator” as the U.S. and Canada exchange increasingly stark blows amid a trade war that has resulted in tit-for-tat tariffs.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during a press conference at Canada’s Premiers Conference in Toronto, Ontario, December 16, 2024.
Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Ford told reporters Monday that Trump is a “bully” and “dictator” who he would not “take any advice off,” referring to the president as the “king of bankruptcies,” a jab at the six business bankruptcies Trump’s casinos and hotels filed for in the 1990s and 2000s.
When asked about a comment he made on the radio Monday morning in which he told Trump, “Kiss my a–,” Ford doubled down during the press conference, adding, “I have a lot of real estate on my a–, so he has a lot of room to kiss my a–.”
Ford said Trump is underestimating Canada, which is “all in” on an “economic war,” and said, “We need to throw everything and the kitchen sink at them.
Ford’s comments came after a Truth Social post in which Trump said the U.S. “has been carrying Canada for decades,” with the president later calling Ford a “Flunky.”
Trump threatened Monday to slap 50% tariffs on all cars, trucks and parts from Canada starting next year.
Ford also said red states in the U.S. would be “hit hard” by Canada’s retaliatory tariffs.
What To Watch For
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Saturday Canada will enact dollar-for-dollar tariffs against the U.S. starting Sept. 8. Sectors targeted by those tariffs include steel, agriculture, dairy and electronics, according to Carney.
Key Background
The broader trade war between the U.S. and Canada is rooted in Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announced last year, when a 25% universal tariff was placed against Canada and Mexico. However, Trump briefly exempted the majority of trade by delaying penalties for goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The Trump administration declined to renew the deal during a joint review in July, opting against a 16-year extension over concerns it would not rebalance trade deficits or improve manufacturing jobs in the U.S. The trade war reached a fever pitch this month as U.S.-Canada trade talks failed last Friday. Following the collapse of negotiations, the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian products and impacted roughly $20 billion in Canadian exports, according to CNBC. Carney then announced Canada’s dollar-for-dollar tariffs, telling reporters Saturday, “You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked.”
Further Reading
Trump And Canada In Trade ‘War’: How Hockey Sticks, Puzzles And Wigs Played A Role (Forbes)
Canada Says Retaliatory Tariffs Start Next Month—After ‘Unfair’ Negotiations Fell Through (Forbes)
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