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Trump Escalates Attacks on Canada, Threatens Economic Retaliation

U.S. President Donald Trump has launched some of his strongest attacks yet against Canada, vowing to inflict severe economic consequences after Ontario imposed a surcharge on electricity exports to the U.S. in retaliation for his latest tariffs.

Trump’s Threats & Annexation Taunts

In a series of social media posts on Tuesday morning, one day after Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s electricity levy took effect, Trump declared:

"Canada will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come."

Taking his rhetoric even further, Trump revived his annexation talk, insisting that Canada’s only way to escape economic devastation was to "become our cherished Fifty-First State."

"This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear," Trump wrote.

He also dismissed the Canada-U.S. border—established after the American Revolutionary War and reaffirmed through multiple treaties—as merely "an artificial line of separation" that he wants to erase.

"We will have the safest and most beautiful Nation anywhere in the world," Trump claimed.

However, data suggests otherwise—Canada’s homicide rate is nearly four times lower per capita than the U.S., raising doubts about Trump’s claims that Canada would be safer under American rule.

Trudeau: Trump’s Tariffs Aim to Collapse Canadian Economy

Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously warned that Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, initially justified as a crackdown on drugs and migration, are actually intended to trigger a total collapse of Canada’s economy—making it easier for the U.S. to annex the country.

Escalating the Trade War

Trump confirmed that he ordered Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to raise tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum by another 25%, bringing the total to 50% starting Wednesday.

He also falsely claimed that Canada is "one of the highest tariffing nations anywhere in the world."

Canada Prepares to Retaliate

A senior Canadian government official, speaking to CBC News, said Ottawa is ready to respond to Trump’s latest tariff threats—but will wait to see if the measures are actually enacted before taking counteraction.

Until Trump launched his trade war, most Canada-U.S. trade was entirely tariff-free under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)—a deal Trump himself negotiated and signed during his first term.