Trump threatens ‘serious tariffs’ on Europe over Canada’s proposed EU associate membership

President Donald Trump threatened to impose “serious tariffs” on Europe if Canada becomes an associate member of the European Union, according to POLITICO. Trump called the proposal “laughable,” which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen floated during her State of the Union speech, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in attendance.

Speaking to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump said he would consider it a “hostile act” and threatened to halt trade with Europe if pursued without “good intention.” Von der Leyen proposed a broader “Alliance for the Future” alongside the associate membership idea, though Canada’s incoming EU ambassador, Jonathan Wilkinson, downplayed the prospect, saying, “We’re not there.”