Trump threatens to hit EU with new tariffs over Canada overture

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times - Thursday, September 17, 2026

President Trump is threatening to impose new tariffs on products from the European Union if he concludes the bloc’s proposal to make Canada its first “associate member” amounts to a hostile act toward the U.S.

Mr. Trump said the proposal did not make sense to him because “Canada’s been a terrible trade partner.”

“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility,” Mr. Trump told reporters late Wednesday.

Mr. Trump weighed in after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was open to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada an associate member.

The designation, which would bring closer economic and defense ties between Europe and Canada, does not yet exist, so EU members would have to create and ratify it.

Still, the overture signals that Canada is seeking ways to become less dependent on the U.S.

The North American neighbors are locked in a bitter trade war after Mr. Trump imposed 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, citing unfair treatment of U.S. producers.

Canada retaliated with dollar-for-dollar tariffs and is openly courting other nations as reliable partners.

“We are making Canada the most attractive place to invest in the world,” Mr. Carney said in a social media post that included a portion of his address Wednesday to the European Parliament.

If implemented, Mr. Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on the EU would complicate an earlier agreement that capped most tariffs on European products at 15%.

Tariffs are duties imposed on foreign goods brought into the U.S.

They are critical to Mr. Trump’s trade agenda. He points to billions of dollars in added revenue for the Treasury from tariffs and his ability to use the levies as leverage in international affairs, while protecting U.S. industries from unfair competition.

Small businesses and other critics say tariffs raise costs across supply chains, resulting in higher prices for consumers, while weakening U.S. relations with other countries.