U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Canada would face a 100% tariff on all exports to the United States if it moves forward with a trade deal with China.
The warning marks a sharp escalation in already strained relations between Washington and Ottawa and follows days of public exchanges between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump issued the threat on his Truth Social platform, arguing that closer Canada-China trade ties would undermine U.S. economic interests and expose Canada to strategic risk.
The comments reverse Trump’s earlier stance this month, when he suggested that pursuing a deal with China could benefit Canada.
Trump said a Canada-China agreement would effectively turn Canada into a conduit for Chinese goods entering the U.S. market.
“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
He also wrote that “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life.”
Trump referred to Carney as “governor,” echoing past rhetoric that framed Canada as economically dependent on the United States.
The threat follows Trump’s decision this week to withdraw Canada’s invitation to join his Board of Peace initiative, a move that came after Carney’s remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Carney has recently emphasized diversification of Canada’s economic relationships amid growing global trade frictions.
During a visit to China earlier this month, he described Beijing as a “reliable and predictable partner” and encouraged European leaders in Davos, Switzerland, to seek Chinese investment.
In his Davos speech, Carney warned that powerful nations were using “economic integration as weapons” and “tariffs as leverage,” calling the moment a global rupture rather than a transition.
While he did not name the United States directly, Trump later responded at the forum by saying, “Canada lives because of the United States.”
Carney answered the following day, stating that “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
Neither the White House nor the Canadian prime minister’s office clarified what specific actions would constitute a trade deal triggering the proposed tariffs.