Trump cites return of US manufacturing as tariff rationale
Negotiators from the United States and Canada were holding last-minute talks to prevent a 50% US tariff on $20 billion in Canadian goods from taking effect. The talks come as Trump has hit Canadian goods with tariffs in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States.
Through decades of trade disputes, the two neighbors have remained friends, allies, and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
A 50% tariff on $20 billion in Canadian goods would apply to a bilateral relationship in which about 800,000 Canadians live in the United States. The 5,525-mile US-Canada border is undefended, with roughly 330,000 people and $2 billion in goods crossing it each day.
Beyond the tariff, Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada become the 51st US state.