U.S. President Donald Trump said Canada’s July 30 announcement that it will recognize Palestinian statehood doesn’t please him but won’t stand in the way of the United States reaching a trade agreement with Canada.
“I didn’t like what they said,” Trump said July 31 from the White House, though adding it’s “not a deal breaker.” Trump added that he received a call from Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier in the day but hadn’t yet spoken to him.
Nevertheless, the White House on July 31 proceeded with plans to hike tariffs on Canada from 25 percent to 35 percent starting Aug. 1, saying the new rate is due to the “flow of illicit drugs across our northern border.” Products under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continue to be exempt from the tariffs. Canada is also subject to sectoral tariffs of 50 percent on steel, aluminum, and copper….