President Donald Trump said Monday that Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier will no longer be permitted to sell jets in the United States unless it moves manufacturing into the country, escalating a widening trade confrontation as Canada prepares retaliatory tariffs on American goods.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
President Donald Trump escalated his trade confrontation with Canada on Monday, declaring that Bombardier will lose access to the U.S. market unless the Canadian business-jet manufacturer begins building its aircraft in the United States.
Trump announced the ultimatum as relations between Washington and Ottawa deteriorated further following a new round of tariffs affecting billions of dollars in cross-border commerce. The White House had not immediately detailed how Trump’s Bombardier directive would be implemented or what regulatory mechanism would be used to prevent sales of the company’s aircraft in the United States.
“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough!” Trump wrote, accusing the company of “treating America like a piggybank.”
The announcement comes less than a month after U.S. tariffs of 50% took effect on approximately $20 billion in Canadian goods. Canada, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has in turn prepared retaliatory tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on hundreds of American products, including higher duties on certain steel products and tariffs covering an assortment of consumer goods. The Canadian measures were scheduled to take effect Tuesday.
Trump focused his latest criticism on Bombardier’s reliance on American customers, arguing that the company benefits heavily from the U.S. aviation market while Canada restricts access for American businesses.
“Over 50% of their revenue comes from the United States — They live off American Buyers, American Companies, American Airports, and American Service — All while Canada blocks our GREAT American Banks, and Companies, throughout the U.S.A.,” Trump wrote.
Bombardier, headquartered in Montreal, maintains a substantial U.S. customer base and also operates facilities in the United States, including a defense-related operation in Kansas. The company had not immediately issued a public response to Trump’s Monday statement, according to Reuters.
The president also accused Canada of preventing U.S.-based Gulfstream Aerospace from competing fairly in the Canadian market.
“They even blocked Gulfstream Aerospace from doing business in Canada — Completely unjust and unfair! That Era is OVER! If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank,’” Trump wrote.
The dispute over Bombardier and Gulfstream is not new. Earlier this year, Trump threatened a 50% tariff on Bombardier aircraft and raised the possibility of withdrawing U.S. certification for Canadian-built business jets unless Canadian authorities approved Gulfstream aircraft for operation in Canada. Those earlier threats were not ultimately carried out at the time.
Monday’s declaration went further by directly tying continued access to the American market to manufacturing inside the United States.
Trump concluded his statement with a broader appeal for Americans to purchase domestic products.
“BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA. AMERICA FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote.
The reference to “Lake America” follows Trump’s recent order directing U.S. federal agencies to use that name for Lake Ontario as the administration’s dispute with Canada intensified.
The Bombardier announcement adds another potential front to a trade fight that has broadened considerably since U.S.-Canada negotiations broke down in August.
Trump threatened Aug. 24 to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks and automotive parts beginning Jan. 1, 2027, after negotiations between the two countries failed to produce an agreement. Canada subsequently announced retaliatory measures targeting a roughly equivalent value of U.S. products.
Carney has said Canada remains prepared to reach a trade agreement that benefits both countries but has called for a more stable and respectful negotiating relationship with Washington. Trump administration officials have maintained that the United States offered Canada favorable terms and have warned that additional retaliatory Canadian tariffs could result in further U.S. measures.
Canada’s latest response is expected to raise tariffs on some American steel products from 25% to 50% while imposing duties of varying levels on other U.S. exports. The measures increase the risk that each new round of tariffs could prompt further retaliation from the other government.
Trump’s Bombardier statement now places the aerospace sector directly at the center of that confrontation.
While the president said the Canadian manufacturer would no longer be allowed to sell its jets in the United States unless it builds them domestically, neither the White House nor federal aviation regulators had publicly detailed Monday how such a prohibition would be imposed.
The announcement nevertheless represented Trump’s clearest warning yet to Bombardier: continued access to one of the company’s most important markets will, under the policy he described, depend on bringing aircraft production to the United States.
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