President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on electricity in the United States and doubled tariffs on aluminum and steel from Canada.
The dramatic move was in response to tariffs levied by America’s neighbor to the north.
Trump, in a lengthy post on his Truth Social account on Tuesday, also threatened to ‘permanently shut down’ the Canadian auto sector.
As the president ramps up his trade war, he said the only thing to make his tariffs stop is for Canada to become the ’51st state’.
Trump’s increase in tariffs, from 25 percent to 50 percent, will go into effect on Wednesday, he said.
He declared on Truth Social: ‘Based on Ontario, Canada, placing a 25% Tariff on ‘Electricity’ coming into the United States, I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an additional 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all steel and aluminum coming into the United States from Canada, one of the highest tariffing nations anywhere in the world.
‘I will shortly be declaring a National Emergency on Electricity within the threatened area,’ he added.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford put a 25 percent tariff on Canadian electricity to Michigan, New York and Minnesota on Monday in response to