U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday slammed Canada’s high tariffs on American dairy and lumber products, warning of retaliatory measures unless the tariffs are reduced.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump accused Canada of imposing excessive tariffs, particularly on dairy, with some tariffs reaching as high as 250%.
“Canada is charging us over 200% for dairy products—250% in some cases,” Trump said. “When I left office, we had that well taken care of. But under Biden, they just kept raising it. It’s very difficult to deal with the Canadian representatives.”
Trump said that these tariffs have made it “impossible” for the U.S. to export dairy and lumber products to Canada. “They make it impossible for us to sell them lumber or dairy products,” Trump continued, criticizing the disparity between the tariffs the U.S. faces and Canada’s relatively lower tariffs on its exports.
Adding that the U.S. could take action soon this week, Trump said, ““We’re going to charge the same thing. That’s what reciprocal means.”
He also spoke about easing certain regulatory restrictions on U.S. farmers, particularly concerning the timber industry. “We’re freeing up our farmers from the environmental nonsense that they put on them,” he said, referring to policies that he claims limit timber production in the U.S.
