Donald Trump is facing growing backlash from conservatives after opening what critics are calling the “dumbest trade war in history” with Canada, a high-stakes move they warn could put serious pressure on the US economy.
The former president has threatened America’s northern neighbor with sweeping 50 percent tariffs on major industries, including automobiles, auto parts and steel, with the new levies scheduled to begin on January 1.
Those proposed penalties would come in addition to a separate 50 percent tariff on roughly $20 billion in Canadian imports — a list that includes hockey gear, alcohol and other goods — which took effect on Saturday.
Talks between US and Canadian officials collapsed dramatically late last week, with each side accusing the other of shifting demands during the final stretch of negotiations. The dispute has since escalated beyond policy, turning increasingly personal.
On Tuesday morning, Trump said he was weighing whether to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” while also taking aim at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whom he described as “weak and ineffective.”
Carney, for his part, has vowed that Canada will respond to the US tariffs “dollar for dollar.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford struck an even sharper tone this week, telling reporters that Trump can “kiss my a**.”
The escalating US-Canada tariff fight has prompted alarm among conservatives, many of whom argue that Trump’s strategy is poorly timed and could ultimately hurt American businesses and consumers.
“The last thing we need right now, as our economy is getting back on its feet, is a trade war with Canada,” Mike Pence, Trump’s first-term vice president, told CNN.
As President Donald Trump threatens further tariffs on Canada some members in his party are concerned that the trade war could impact the midterm elections
‘The last thing we need right now, as our economy is getting back on its feet, is a trade war with Canada,’ Trump’s first-term Vice President Mike Pence said this week
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to implement ‘dollar for dollar’ retaliatory tariffs on the US. Canada announced up to 50 percent tariffs on some US goods on Tuesday
Former Congressman Ron Paul reacted: ‘It’s a tariff war and a trade war. They’re bragging about how wonderful it is and how necessary it is to save our economy … Sometimes trade wars lead to the other kind of wars.’
Maine’s Republican Senator Susan Collins recently wrote on social media: ‘The on-again/off-again trade talks between the U.S. and Canada lead to higher costs, risk, and uncertainty for Maine businesses.’
‘If the Administration proceeds with these tariffs, they will increase costs for Maine families, as most businesses will have no choice but to pass on the tariffs to their customers through higher prices.’
The right-leaning Wall Street Journal Editorial Board penned a piece calling the recent tariff tit-for-tat the ‘dumbest’ trade war in history and warned that the decision could impact the upcoming midterm elections.
‘President Trump took exception last year when we called his tariffs against Canada and Mexico the dumbest trade war in history,’ the Editorial Board wrote.
‘It got dumber this weekend as Mr. Trump escalated with another round of border taxes on Canadian imports, a mere 10 weeks before midterm elections.’
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs announced on Tuesday go into effect on September 8, much sooner than the January 1 deadline Trump placed on cars and automotive parts.
The timing could mean that US customers foot the bill for Canadian tariffs before customers in the northern country pay rates on US goods. The January deadline also gives the two countries some breathing room to negotiate a trade deal.
Maine’s Republican Senator Susan Collins has slammed the trade war and posted on social media how it could raise prices for US customers
The US and Canada have reached increased its tariffs on the other’s steel supply
Trump has been quick to amend tariff rates on other countries that engage in dealmaking with the US, as is what happened with many countries targeted by Trump’s April 2025 ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs.
The tariffs threaten to increase costs in the US, particularly in the automotive sector, should Trump’s tune not change between now and January.
This could spell trouble for Republicans running in the midterms this fall, as voters have remained concerned about the state of the economy.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina noted how Americans and Canadians near the border could feel the trade war spill into their personal lives.
‘They cross the border. They work together. They have families together,’ he told Semafor.
‘You create that tension, and the party that owns that tension is the party that probably suffers the consequences in November,’ Tillis added.
Meanwhile, the White House claims the tariff war will protect American interests.
‘Countless American workers, farmers, and businesses have borne the brunt of America’s lopsided trade relations, including with Canada which has demanded total access to the American market without reciprocity,’ WH spokesman Kush Desai told Our News Outlet.
