U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon returning to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on January 13, 2026.
Mandel Gunn | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened Canada with 100% tariffs on products sold in the United States if it signs a trade deal with China.
“If Canada signs a deal with China, there will be an immediate 100% tariff on all Canadian goods and products imported into the United States,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
President Trump also suggested on Saturday that China might try to use Canada to avoid paying U.S. tariffs.
“If Governor Carney thinks Canada is going to be a ‘port of call’ for China to send goods and products to the United States, he is making a big mistake,” Trump said.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada and China had reached a tentative agreement to remove trade barriers and lower tariffs. Under the interim agreement, the Chinese government will reduce tariffs on some Canadian agricultural products, while the Ottawa government will apply a most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1% and expand import quotas for Chinese-made electric vehicles.
Just a week ago, President Trump announced his support for Carney on a trade deal with China.
“That’s what he should do. It’s good for him to sign trade deals. If he can get a deal with China, he should do it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on January 16.
“The Canadian government has been clear that its agreement with China is fundamentally about domestic consumers and businesses in Canada and China, and is not a plan for other markets,” Matthew Holmes, executive vice-president and head of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.
“Structured and stable relationships with China and other countries are no substitute for a deep-rooted relationship with the United States, which continues to be overwhelmingly good for workers, consumers, and North American competitiveness,” he added.
The White House and Canada’s Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
In August 2025, President Trump raised tariffs on Canadian products to 35%. Although most Canadian exports are not subject to tariffs under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), some items, such as steel, copper, and certain automobiles and auto parts, are subject to U.S. tariffs.
The threat of new tariffs comes a day after President Trump withdrew his invitation to Canada to serve on a “peace commission” following a speech by Mr. Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos in which he warned of economic coercion by the world’s superpowers.
In his speech, Carney said the world’s “middle powers” needed to unite to resist coercion from the world’s great powers.
Mr. Carney said last week that he intends to join the board, but details have not been worked out. Countries seeking permanent membership must pay a $1 billion fee.
— Reuters contributed to this report.
