‘Very heavy tariffs’: Trump threatens EU over plan to make Canada its first associate member

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on the European Union if it proceeds with plans to offer Canada associate membership status, describing the proposed arrangement as potentially hostile to American interests.

“If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina on Wednesday, adding that “bad intention” behind the move would trigger “very heavy tariffs.”

The Whistler reported that the warning followed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address in Strasbourg, where she proposed Canada becoming the EU’s first associate member — covering manufacturing, technology, defence, energy and artificial intelligence cooperation.

Trump separately dismissed Canada joining the EU as “laughable” and called Canada a “terrible trade partner.”