President Donald Trump says tariffs helped revive America’s auto industry while renewing attacks on Canada over trade.
President Donald Trump is crediting his administration’s tariffs with helping make the U.S. auto industry profitable and successful, while once again criticizing Canada as trade negotiations have broken down.
In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump argued that his tariffs had already produced results for American automakers. He said Ford Motor Co. had been preparing to close a Detroit plant before he announced the tariffs.
“Because I was leading in the Polls, they figured they would leave it open a little longer to see what happened,” he said.
Trump said the plant was now “running 24/7” and described it as “one of the most profitable Car Plants” worldwide.
He also pointed to General Motors Co. and other manufacturers as additional examples, though he did not provide specifics.
“I’ve revived, and indeed saved, the Automobile Business in our America,” he said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had previously argued that the administration’s tariffs had helped return auto manufacturing jobs to the U.S., highlighting investments from Ford and Toyota Motor Corp.
Trump then turned his attention to Canada, describing the country as “one of the worst abusers” of trade.
“I don’t want Canadian cars, I don’t want Canadian parts, I don’t want Canadian anything,” he said, accusing Canada of having been “ripping us off for decades” and saying he wanted that to end.
“This should have happened long ago with other Presidents, just as stopping Iran should have happened long ago,” he said.
Trump also repeated his criticism that Canada wanted to be treated like a state without actually being one. He had threatened 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, leading Canada to impose reciprocal tariffs.
“I deal with the Leadership of many Countries, but I find Canada to be the worst,” he said, criticizing the government led by Mark Carney.
“They are entitled no longer,” he added.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Canada had been offered the "best deal" compared with other countries around the world.
Greer also said discussions over tariffs on medium- and heavy-duty trucks were separate from the Section 232 tariffs being considered for relief.
Lutnick, meanwhile, accused Carney of abandoning the talks for political reasons, citing upcoming Canadian elections. He also rejected Canadian officials’ claims concerning French-language issues.
Lutnick separately said medium- and heavy-duty trucks had not been part of the negotiations until the final hours. Canada’s chief negotiator disputed that claim.