US President Donald Trump called for a boycott of Canada’s Bombardier jets in the United States, while also threatening the Canadian dollar, as Canada’s retaliatory tariffs are set to take effect at 12:01 am on Tuesday (local time). These counter-levies, ranging from 15% to 50%, will apply to billions of dollars’ worth of American imports targeting sectors, including dairy, agriculture, electronics, steel, appliances and more.
The counter-tariffs target Canada’s largest trading partner under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government “as a result of the United States’ decision to impose a 50% tariff on $27.6bn of Canadian goods effective August 22,” the Canadian government said alongside its list of duty-subjected products last month.
Hours before the September 8 deadline, Carney, on his part, confirmed to Canadian outlet CBC News that no calls were scheduled between him and Trump as no there were no plans to announce a last-minute deal.
Trump threatens US boycott of Canadian Bombardier jets
The US president shared the threatening message in a social media post via Truth Social on Monday (US time), asserting that the US would no longer sell the Canadian airplane manufacturer’s jets unless the Quebec-based company builds in America. Trump’s fresh warnings echoed US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s remarks about US retaliation, suggesting potential bans on Canadian products in an interview with CBC News last week.
“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES,” Trump declared online. “If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.'”
The previous day, he also spoke out sharply against what he described as an “unacceptable” imbalance between the US and Canadian currencies.
“Canada’s Dollar imbalance with the US is unacceptable,” he said on Truth Social, further escalating tensions between both sides as he highlighted that the Canadian dollar is relatively weaker than the US dollar. “It has been that way for years – but no longer!”
Despite the ongoing trouble between both sides, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently downplayed claims of a trade war, asserting America’s grandiosity.
“We’re not at war with Canada,” he said on the sidelines of a G20 financial leaders’ meeting, according to CNBC. “How are we going to be at war with Canada? They’re going to take their two set submarines from the Edmonton Mall and sic them on us?”
Bombardier responds to Trump’s threat
The Canadian manufacturer addressed the US boycott threat in a statement to CNBC, saying that its workers are based across the United States. The company pointed out that its employees had direct employment in more than 20 states and sites in 10 states, including California, Texas and Arizona.
“Bombardier values its great partnership with American companies and its US employees,” it said in the statement shared with CNBC. It further added that its planes are built using American-made components like engines, avionics and other key systems provided by US companies.
Beyond its current operations, the company foregrounded its plans to expand its defence activities and service network in the US. Bombardier is already set to inaugurate a new facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, later this year.
US Senator Jerry Moran (Kansas) has since expressed concerns about the potential Bombardier boycott’s impact on the local workforce, constituting more than a thousand employees.
“The presence of Bombardier in Wichita supports a local workforce of more than a thousand employees, who contribute their talent and expertise to our nation’s defense and aerospace capabilities,” he said in a statement shared on his official website.
His formal statement even alluded to a recent conversation he had with President Trump regarding the issue, as he ensured that the POTUS is aware of the contributions the Canadian company makes to the Kansas ecosystem, just as much as Kansas workers contribute to the Bombardier supply chain.
“I will continue working to see that Bombardier’s manufacturing operations not only remain in Kansas but continue to grow and create American jobs. Kansas is home to a hardworking, skilled workforce, and I will continue welcoming leaders in aircraft and defense manufacturing to do business here in the Air Capital of the World,” he added.
Meanwhile, Quebec Premier Christine Frechette hailed the Canadian manufacturer as a “source of pride for Quebec, a flagship of our economy, and a major player in our aerospace industry.” In her social media statement posted in French, she also confirmed reaching out to Bombardier’s CEO Eric Martel to offer him full support.
US-Canada tariff war escalates
Trump’s scathing remarks targeting Canada have only further intensified the broader diplomatic tensions between the two sides that now go well beyond the tariff scene. In recent years, the US president has repeatedly taken digs at Canada, including his August signing of an executive order meant to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” which Canadians have vehemently rejected.
Last month, as trade talks between the nations collapsed, Trump accused Canada of wanting “the benefits of being a state, without being one.” Those remarks echoed his claims of making Canada the “51st state” of America,” which he has repeated since returning to office in 2025.
Once the new 50% US tariffs on a range of Canadian goods took effect, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney branded them a “miscalculation” designed to “hurt and divide us.”
The countermeasures will impose 15, 25 and 50 per cent tariffs only on goods originating from the US, while US goods that are already in transit to Canada on the day will remain exempt. As previously announced, the retaliatory tariffs taking effect on September 8 seek to match Trump’s tariffs “dollar-for-dollar.” As a result, the announced levies will apply to $27.6 billion (US $20 billion) in imports from the US.