Donald Trump escalated his trade war against Canada after one of its provinces added a surcharge for electricity used by three U.S. states.
Ontario imposed a 25-percent electricity surcharge on Michigan, Minnesota and New York — which will affect up to 1.5 million businesses and homes and cost up to $400,000 a day — in response to Trump's tariffs on products imported from Canada. The president lashed out after signaling he would declare a national emergency in response.
"Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area?" Trump posted on Truth Social. "Who made these decisions, and why? And can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat?"
"They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!" he added.
That post came a little over an hour after Trump announced additional tariffs up to 50 percent on aluminum and steel imports from Canada that would go into effect Wednesday, threatened substantial increases for tariffs on automobile imports from the nation and ramped up his expansionist rhetoric against the United States' longtime ally.
"Canada pays very little for National Security, relying on the United States for military protection," Trump posted earlier Tuesday. "We are subsidizing Canada to the tune of more than 200 Billion Dollars a year. WHY??? This cannot continue. The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.
"The artificial line of separation drawn many years ago will finally disappear, and we will have the safest and most beautiful Nation anywhere in the World — And your brilliant anthem, 'O Canada,' will continue to play, but now representing a GREAT and POWERFUL STATE within the greatest Nation that the World has ever seen!" he added.