Trump claims Canadian businesses are moving en masse to the US

Istanbul (ANTARA) - US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday (30/8) that Canadian companies are swiftly moving their business operations to the US amidst rising trade tensions between the two neighbouring nations.

“Canadian companies are flocking to the United States. We want to make our own cars and so on. That is what will happen,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

He asserted that Canada has “been hurting us for years” and promised that the economic relationship between the two countries would currently undergo a fundamental change.

It remains uncertain which specific Canadian companies have initiated relocation plans or the total amount of capital being moved across the border.

In a separate post, Trump directly called upon companies currently operating in the neighbouring country, claiming many had left the US due to “stupid” US leadership.

“Let all Canadian companies doing business with America move to the United States, immediately,” he wrote, promising that companies that relocate would not be subject to “tariffs.”

He referred to Canada as “one of the parties that has most abused” the US and stated that he no longer wants Canadian vehicles or components in the US market.

The US President’s statements follow the imposition of a 50 per cent US tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods on 22 August, as well as his latest directive to impose a 50 per cent tariff on all Canadian cars, trucks, and steel starting 1 January 2027.

Trump argued that these measures are necessary to address a trade deficit exceeding $60 billion. He has repeatedly urged manufacturers to move their operational activities to US territory to achieve “zero tariffs.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the US approach, describing the new tariffs as a “miscalculation” and an attempt to “hurt and divide” Canada.

Carney stated that Canada is “at war” in terms of trade and announced that retaliatory tariffs would be imposed on $20 billion worth of US imports starting 8 September.