Vance Calls Canada a 'State' as Trump Doubles Auto Tariffs to 50%
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 24
Vance Calls Canada a 'State' as Trump Doubles Auto Tariffs to 50%
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 24
Summary
At a Maine rally, Vice President JD Vance called Canada “a state,” then said it was a “Freudian slip” as he defended Washington’s tougher trade stance.
Hours earlier, President Donald Trump said he was doubling tariffs on Canadian automobiles and auto parts to 50%, intensifying a trade fight that reignited over the weekend.
The broader tariff package took effect just after midnight on Aug. 22 after a three-day delay and covers just over 5% of Canadian exports to the United States—about $28 billion in goods, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Vance argued Canada mistreats Maine producers with tariffs and non-tariff barriers, while Carney had already suspended trade talks on Aug. 21 and recalled Canadian negotiators to Ottawa.
Exemptions still cover energy, potash, fish and critical minerals, but the new duties fall outside USMCA preferences, widening the rupture in a trade relationship central to both economies.