Trump Targets Canada with 35% Tariff Amid Fentanyl Dispute

President Donald Trump is turning up the heat on America’s northern neighbor threatening to impose a 35% tariff on Canadian imports unless Prime Minister Mark Carney takes action to stop the flow of fentanyl across the U.S.-Canada border.

In a letter issued Thursday, Trump accused Canada of failing to cooperate in the fight against the deadly drug epidemic, while also calling out Canada’s protectionist trade practices, particularly its long-standing 400% tariffs on American dairy products.

“If Canada works with me to stop the flow of Fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,” Trump wrote. “These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country.”

• The 35% tariff would take effect August 1, superseding the 25% rate Trump introduced earlier this year.

• Goods compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will remain exempt for now.

• Transshipped Canadian goods, or those routed through other countries to evade tariffs, will be targeted under the new rule.

The Biden administration has ignored Canada’s growing role as a trafficking corridor for fentanyl precursors and synthetic opioids. Trump, by contrast, is holding foreign governments accountable for their negligence in combating this lethal crisis.

The CDC reports that over 70,000 Americans died from synthetic opioid overdoses in 2023, with China and Canada playing critical roles in the drug's cross-border journey. For Trump, it’s a matter of both economic justice and national security.

“The Trade Deficit is a major threat to our Economy, and, indeed, our National Security!” Trump added.

He didn’t stop there. The president also blasted Canada’s history of retaliatory tariffs and refusal to negotiate in good faith, calling out their excessive dairy tariffs that block U.S. farmers from accessing the Canadian market.

“Canada charges extraordinary Tariffs to our Dairy Farmers up to 400% and that is even assuming our Dairy Farmers even have access to sell their products to the people of Canada.”

This move is part of a broader tariff campaign launched by Trump to force allies and adversaries alike to play fair or pay up. Just this week, Trump threatened Brazil with a 50% tariff over its persecution of conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro.

And Trump says more letters are coming, including to the European Union “We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay… I’d like to do it today.”

The message is unmistakable: America’s days of subsidizing foreign freeloaders are over. Under President Trump, the U.S. will not tolerate open borders for drugs, rigged trade deals, or foreign governments attacking political opponents.

The pressure is now squarely on Ottawa. Either work with Trump to stop fentanyl, or face the economic consequences.

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