Unbelievable

Trump warns he could cause the ‘ruination’ of Canada

WASHINGTON— Returning to his bellicose trade rhetoric, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Friday that he would cause the “ruination” of Canada if he imposed tariffs on Canadian-made cars.

Trump issued the threat as North American Free Trade Agreement talks continued in Washington without a deal. He has repeatedly threatened to hit Canada with the auto tariffs if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not make concessions, though he has never before used such dire language.

On Air Force One on his way to a Republican fundraising event in North Dakota, Trump said, “Canada has been ripping us off for a long time. Now, they’ve got to treat us fairly.”

“I don’t want to do anything bad to Canada. I can — all I have to do is tax their cars, it would be devastating. If I tax cars coming in from Canada, it would be devastating,” he continued, according to a pool reporter travelling with him.

Trump’s rhetoric escalated further in the North Dakota speech. After saying he is “working on a deal with Canada,” he said, “We cannot continue to get ripped off like we’ve been ripped off before.”

“Actually, on some countries, including Canada, a tax on cars would be the ruination of the country,” he said. “That's how big it is. It'd be the ruination of the country. Now, they've taken advantage of us for many decades. We can’t let this happen anymore. We have a country to run.”