President Donald Trump has warned the European Union (EU) that he could hit the bloc with “serious tariffs.” He would reportedly do that if the EU moves ahead with a plan to welcome Canada as its first associate member. The threat, made on Wednesday, raises the stakes in an already simmering trade dispute.
Donald Trump responds to Canada’s potential EU associate membership with tariff warning
Donald Trump made the remarks at an airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, after reporters asked him about the proposal. He dismissed the idea as “laughable.” Moreover, Trump framed any deeper Canada-EU integration as a possible act of aggression against American interests.
“If I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” Trump said. He added that he could accept the arrangement if it carried “a good intention.” Otherwise, he promised “very heavy tariffs on Europe.”
The warning lands at a delicate moment for transatlantic relations. Trump has already raised tariffs on both Canada and the EU since returning to the White House. He has repeatedly suggested Canada should become the 51st US state.
Moreover, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen introduced the idea during her State of the Union speech on Wednesday, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the room. She invited Canada to become the EU’s first associate member and proposed a wider “Alliance for the Future” grounded in the existing EU-Canada trade deal.
“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen told Carney. She pointed to cooperation on tech, defence, energy, and critical minerals as pillars of the partnership. The proposal caught European capitals off guard. No associate membership category currently exists under EU law, so its practical meaning remains undefined. That ambiguity extends to how it would affect Canada’s access to the EU single market.
Canadian officials moved quickly to temper expectations. Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s incoming ambassador to the EU, told reporters in Strasbourg that the two sides are not close to any such arrangement. “We’re not there,” he said. “What we’re focused on is actually driving results.” Canada is working to reduce its economic reliance on the US as the trade war between the two neighbours drags on (via Politico).
