US President Donald Trump has escalated his trade confrontation with Canada by threatening to bar Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier from selling its planes in the United States unless the company shifts production across the border.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump wrote: “No more selling Bombardier in the United States!” He added that “their products aren’t good enough” and accused the company of relying on “American buyers, American companies, American airports, and American service.”
“If they want our market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank,’” the president said.
The threat is not new. In January, Trump already floated a 50% tariff on all aircraft sold to the US and suggested he would decertify Bombardier’s planes, reacting to what he claimed was Canada’s refusal to approve certain US-made Gulfstream jets.
A deepening trade war
The latest salvo comes amid a broader deterioration in US-Canada trade relations. Negotiations aimed at avoiding heavy duties on Canadian goods collapsed last month, with both sides accusing each other of trying to introduce last-minute changes.
As a result, 50% US tariffs on roughly C$28 billion worth of Canadian products took effect in late August. The duties cover a wide range of goods, from hockey sticks and wine to cement. Ottawa responded by announcing retaliatory tariffs on approximately C$27.6 billion of US imports, set to take effect on Tuesday.
Canada’s countermeasures target sectors such as steel and aluminium, appliances, dairy, agricultural equipment, plastics, pulp and paper, and electronics.
Bombardier, founded in 1942 by Joseph-Armand Bombardier as a snowmobile maker, moved into aerospace in 1986 when it acquired Canadair, the manufacturer of the Challenger business jet. The company is headquartered in Montreal and employs thousands of workers in Canada and abroad.
The dispute is part of a wider pattern of US trade pressure on its northern neighbour. Trump has also demanded that Europe repay US military aid to Ukraine, and his envoys have been shuttling between Kyiv and Moscow with a peace plan. The president’s confrontational approach to trade has unsettled allies across the Atlantic, including in Brussels and Berlin.
European observers are watching closely, as the US-Canada spat could set a precedent for how Washington treats its trading partners. The European Union has already faced US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and the threat of further duties looms over the bloc’s exports.
For Bombardier, the stakes are high. The US is its largest market, and losing access would be a severe blow. The company has not yet responded publicly to Trump’s latest remarks.
Analysts note that Trump’s threats may be more rhetorical than practical, as decertifying Bombardier aircraft would require a lengthy regulatory process. Still, the uncertainty adds to the strain on cross-border supply chains and investment decisions.
As the trade war intensifies, both Ottawa and Washington show little sign of backing down. The coming weeks will reveal whether the two allies can find a way to de-escalate, or whether the conflict will expand further into other sectors.
