Trump derides EU’s Canada pitch, eyes more tariffs on bloc

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to take action against the EU if it moves forward with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada the bloc’s first associate member.

“If they do that, 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 told reporters en route to an event in North Carolina, calling the proposal “laughable.”

“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,” he said.

US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at Gastonia Municipal Airport in North Carolina on Wednesday.

Photo: Bloomberg

Von der Leyen made the proposal earlier on Wednesday during her annual State of the Union speech, attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as she sought to deepen ties among allies in what she called “an openly hostile world.”

The EU faces the risk of war on its borders due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while the bloc and Canada have grappled with trade tensions with the US and China.

Earlier this month, Carney had said he was seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU.

The EU has historically resisted flexible alliances that have no legal status.

One EU diplomat expressed surprise at the proposal, saying “nobody really knows what it means” and that there were concerns that the European Commission president “is overpromising and won’t be able to deliver.”