Canadian official calls for Alabama, other states to face ‘full force’ of trade tariffs

Escalation in U.S.-Canada Trade War

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to cut off electricity and critical mineral exports to the United States if the trade conflict worsens, as President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs and exchanged sharp personal attacks with the Canadian leader.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ford said Ronald Reagan would be "throwing up" over Trump's trade policies, noting that Trump keeps a portrait of the former president near his desk. "He'd be throwing up on him from the picture if he knew what was going on, spinning around in his grave right now," Ford said. "He should maybe take that picture off the wall and move it somewhere else. Because right now, Ronald Reagan would be disgusted with President Trump."

Ford said "everything is on the table" after Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from trade negotiations late Friday. "I'll cut them off," Ford said of critical minerals. "You won't get a grain of sand out of Ontario."

The comments came as Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Canadian automobiles, car parts, and steel starting next year. The announcement followed the collapse of talks, with long-planned U.S. tariffs on various Canadian goods going into effect and Canada vowing retaliation.

"Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years," Trump wrote on social media Monday morning, criticizing what he called Canada's "ridiculously high tariffs" on American farmers.

Ford's Threats and Leverage

Ford emphasized Canada's leverage, noting that Ontario supplies electricity to approximately 1.5 million American homes and businesses, particularly in neighboring states like Michigan, Minnesota, and New York. "We power 1.5 million homes and businesses," Ford said. "Everything's on the table. I'll do whatever it takes."

He also threatened to halt exports of critical minerals, including high-grade nickel and uranium refined in Ontario, materials with significant importance to American manufacturing, energy production, and national security. "What would they do without the high-grade nickel that we ship down to the U.S.?" Ford asked.

Ford suggested Canada could go further by using its oil and potash supplies as leverage. In an earlier interview on NewsTalk 1010, he said Canada should consider cutting off oil exports entirely, suggesting he could get Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on board. "The cars that they're manufacturing won't be able to fill up, because we'll be controlling the oil and the gas going down there," he said.

Personal Attacks and Political Fallout

The trade dispute has also become deeply personal. After Trump called Ford "the less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford" on Truth Social, Ford responded with a barrage of insults at a news conference, calling Trump a "dictator," a "bully," and the "king of bankruptcies."

"I don't respond to a dictator like President Trump," Ford said, comparing the president to a school bully. "I'm not going to take any advice off a guy that is the king of bankruptcies and he is actually tariffing his own people, taxing his own people."

Ford also said he would reach out to U.S. governors and senators ahead of the midterms, telling Americans, "Don't vote for a person that is going to kill your jobs." He dismissed Trump's insults with "bring it on, buddy," adding, "I have more courage, more brains in my baby toe than he has in his whole body."

Trump, in response, wrote that "America has been carrying Canada for decades, but no longer! The U.S.A. will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada." He also told Canadian leaders to "fall in line" or face consequences that would be "far WORSE."

Carney's Response and Economic Impact

Prime Minister Mark Carney accused Washington of trying to subordinate Canada and said U.S. demands aimed to dismantle the Canadian auto industry. "An attitude at the negotiation table that Canada is a subsidiary of the United States is not something we're going to accept," Carney said. He announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation starting September 8.

The collapse of talks triggered 50% U.S. tariffs on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, while Canada has vowed to match the levies. Carney said the talks broke down over disagreements on trucks, language rules, and restrictions on which countries Canada could strike trade deals with.

A U.S. official said Canada wanted concessions in automotive, steel, aluminum, and lumber. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Canada came with "unreasonable last-minute demands."

Ford has also called for targeting eight U.S. states with additional retaliatory tariffs, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Texas, and Wisconsin, according to a letter from Ford to Carney reported by Newsweek. Ford wrote that these are "politically significant states to the current administration's base of support" and should "face the full force of Canada's response."

Local Economic Concerns

The trade war is already having local impacts. In Michigan, MSU professor Jason Miller said, "Any situation that affects trade with Canada hurts the state of Michigan more than any other state in the union." Business owners are bracing for higher costs, though some see opportunities. Leathersmith Peter Ruppe said higher prices on imported wallets could bring more customers to his Detroit shop.

In Alabama, Canada is the state's largest export market, with about $4.3 billion in goods last year, including automobiles, aircraft, and transportation equipment.

Perspectives

Ontario Premier Doug Ford: Ford argues that Canada must respond forcefully to U.S. tariffs, threatening to cut electricity and critical minerals, and calling Trump's policies an "economic war" that Reagan would reject. He says Canadians are united and willing to endure economic pain to defend their sovereignty, and he is targeting Republican-leaning states with additional measures.

Prime Minister Mark Carney: Carney frames the U.S. demands as an attempt to subordinate Canada and dismantle its auto industry. He insists Canada will retaliate with dollar-for-dollar tariffs but remains open to negotiation if treated as a sovereign partner.

President Donald Trump: Trump defends the tariffs as necessary to correct unfair trade practices and what he calls Canada's "ridiculously high tariffs" on American goods. He dismisses Ford's threats as "bluster" and warns of further consequences unless Canada "falls in line."