Trump rips Canada on tariffs, claims Ottawa wants 'state benefits'

US President Donald Trump on Sunday launched a fresh broadside against Canada over trade tariffs, claiming Ottawa enjoys the benefits of American statehood without accepting its responsibilities as bilateral tensions escalate over agricultural duties.

Trump claims Canada seeks 'state benefits'

Writing on Truth Social, Trump accused Canadian leaders of demanding privileges reserved for US states while avoiding the corresponding obligations. "Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!" he wrote, adding that Ottawa had imposed heavy duties on American agricultural exports for years. "They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!" Trump stated.

Ottawa pledges retaliation, suspends talks

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday accused Washington of deploying punitive tariffs specifically designed to "hurt and divide" Canada, calling the strategy "a miscalculation" that would trigger proportional countermeasures. Carney announced that Ottawa would impose dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning Sept. 8 after suspending trade negotiations with Washington, stating that US negotiators had tabled demands Canada could not accept.

Conflicting accounts of collapsed negotiations

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer offered a conflicting account of the diplomatic breakdown, stating that Canadian officials had abandoned a nearly finalized agreement that would have further reduced tariff barriers on Canadian exports entering the American market. The contradictory narratives from Washington and Ottawa underscore the depth of the commercial rupture as both nations prepare for heightened economic hostilities beginning next month.