U.S. President Donald Trump stepped up pressure ahead of Canada's retaliatory tariffs on the United States by floating a ban on sales of Canadian-made jets in the U.S.
Trump said on the 7th (local time) on the social media platform Truth Social, "Now stop selling Bombardier in the United States. Their products are not good."
He added, "More than 50% of Bombardier's sales come from the United States. They feed off American buyers, corporations, airports and services," and "Meanwhile, Canada is blocking our great American banks and corporations."
Bombardier is a Canadian manufacturer of corporate and private jets. According to Reuters, about half of the 5,100 aircraft Bombardier has sold are operating in the United States.
Trump criticized Canada for blocking the domestic operations of Gulfstream, a U.S. jet maker that competes with Bombardier, calling it "completely improper and unfair."
He continued, "If they want the U.S. market, they must produce in the United States," adding, "They must stop treating America like a piggy bank."
He also wrote, "Buy American. Fly American passenger planes. Enjoy American liquors and beverages. Sail on Lake America." "Lake America" is the name Trump gave to Lake Ontario, which lies between the United States and Canada, saying he would change its name.
The latest remarks repeat a longstanding claim that Canada heavily relies on the U.S. market while blocking U.S. corporations from entering its own market.
On the 2nd, Trump also said, "All major Canadian banks have entered the United States, and the United States is their biggest revenue source," adding, "But Canada does not allow U.S. banks to enter."
He explained that while Gulfstream failed to obtain Canadian government certification for nine years and therefore could not operate locally, Bombardier did business freely in the United States, and that this was corrected by putting tariffs first.
In January, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Canadian-made aircraft until Gulfstream jets received Canadian government certification. Canada certified Gulfstream aircraft a month later.
However, Bombardier aircraft use engines produced by U.S. corporations such as Honeywell and General Electric (GE). Reuters noted that with 3,500 employees in the United States and a sizable local production and supply chain, it is unclear whether a sales ban would actually be implemented.
Trump's latest remarks came one day before Canada's retaliatory tariffs on the United States take effect. After the United States imposed a 50% tariff starting on the 22nd of last month on about $20 billion worth of Canadian-made products, Canada decided to levy retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made products of the same scale starting on the 8th.
On the 4th, Trump said, "If we do not trade with Canada at all, the United States saves $90 billion," and suggested that if the Federal Reserve (Fed) does not cut its benchmark interest rate, trade could be halted with countries that run trade surpluses with the United States, including Canada.
The day before, he said, "The imbalance between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar is unacceptable. It has continued for years, but no more," criticizing Canada on the grounds that it is using the weakness of its own currency to boost exports to the United States.