WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent trashed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for cutting a deal with China on electric vehicles, warning the US neighbor of penalties if it lets Beijing “dump goods” in America.
President Trump initially downplayed the move, telling reporters, “If you can get a deal with China, he should do that.” Then, on Saturday, Trump threatened to slap 100% tariffs on Canada in response.
“There’s a possibility of a hundred percent tariffs if they do a free trade deal, if they go further — if we see that the Canadians are allowing the Chinese to dump goods.,” Bessent explained to ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday.
“The Canadians, a few months ago, joined the U.S. in putting high steel tariffs on China because the Chinese are dumping,” Bessent added. “The Europeans also have done the same thing. And it looks like Prime Minister Carney may have done some kind of about-face.”
Canada had imposed a 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs similar to the US in 2024, but under the new deal, China will be able to sell 49,000 EVs at a 6.1% most favored nation rate. That came as part of a broader deal between Ottawa and Beijing to increase cooperation on green energy.
Carney’s opening up to China was widely seen as an indirect rebuke of Trump, who imposed sweeping tariffs on Canada last year for alleged drug trafficking and border security concerns.
“I don’t think he’s doing the best job for the Canadian people,” Bessent said of Carney.
Trump had joked about the US annexing Canada, and his pressure campaign prompted former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cry in public.
Last week, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carney told world leaders the “old order” had changed as Trump had threatened to take control of Greenland.
“We know the old order is not coming back,” Carney declared. “We shouldn’t mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy, but we believe that from the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just.”
“This is the task of the middle powers, the countries that have the most to lose from a world of fortresses and most to gain from genuine cooperation.”
On Sunday, Trump re-upped his broadsides against Canada, accusing the northern neighbor of “systematically destroying itself” and making “one of the worst deals, of any kind, in history.”
“China is successfully and completely taking over the once Great Country of Canada,” Trump chided on Truth Social. “So sad to see it happen. I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone!”
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