Trump threatens 'Governor Carney' with tariffs over China trade deal

Trump threatens big tariffs

Photo: The Canadian Press

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, after returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos.(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening Canada with 100 per cent tariffs over a trade deal with China.

Referring to Prime Minister Mark Carney as “governor,” his old insult for former prime minister Justin Trudeau, the president’s Saturday morning social media post says if Carney thinks Canada can become a “drop off port” for China to send products into the U.S., he’s “sorely mistaken.”

“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”

Trump posted again later in the day saying the last thing the world needs is for a Chinese takeover of Canada.

"It's NOT going to happen, or even come close to happening!" the president wrote.

.@MarkJCarney pic.twitter.com/KcX5Juj14h

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 24, 2026

Earlier this month Carney committed to drop Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles to 6.1 per cent with an annual allotment of 49,000 vehicles. Canada first imposed the higher tariffs on Chinese EVs in 2024 in lockstep with the U.S. The deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping will see China lower most of its retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, including lobster, crab and canola.

Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, issued a statement Saturday afternoon saying the two countries have a "remarkable" economic and security partnership.

"There is no pursuit of a free trade deal with China," LeBlanc said. "What was achieved was resolution on several important tariff issues. Canada’s new government is building a stronger Canadian economy, with a plan that is building our strength at home and strengthening our trading partnerships throughout the world.”

Justice Minister Sean Fraser told reporters Saturday that the government has to focus on taking care of things at home.

“We need to build an economy that can stand on its own two feet, making it easier to do big things at home and diversifying into new markets around the world,” he said.

“(These) are interesting and challenging times for the Canadian economy, but with the path the prime minister has laid out, and frankly the buy-in from Canadians in every part of the country I’m excited for what the next few months are going to look like.”

While members of his cabinet expressed concern over the Chinese trade pact, Trumped seemed to support it, at least at first.

“That’s what (Carney) should be doing. It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that,” Trump told reporters earlier this month.

The relationship between Trump and Carney has been rocky since then, with the prime minister grabbing world headlines with a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Without naming the U.S. president directly, Carney warned that the old world order is dead and urged middle powers to band together as larger ones try to pressure them through economic coercion. Trump responded the next day at the same event, saying Carney was ungrateful.

“Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” said the president.

"Canada doesn't live because of the United States," Carney responded the following day. "Canada thrives because we are Canadian."

Trump then rescinded his invitation for Carney to join his new “Board of Peace,” which was originally conceived as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza situation.

Saturday’s post from Trump revived the “governor” label the U.S. president first used to describe Trudeau when he was pushing for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state. The term has largely been absent from Trump’s rhetoric since Carney took office in March.

“Make no mistake, this latest threat and sophomoric bombast isn't about trade,” David Axelrod, who was a senior advisor to former U.S. president Barack Obama, said in a post Saturday. “It's about ?(Carney) forthrightly telling his people & the world hard truths about the unreliability of America as an ally and a partner in the era of ?Trump.”

British Columbia Premier David Eby was among the first of the provincial leaders to comment.

"You’re on the right path, Mark. Canada must stand on our own two feet. British Columbia has your back," he said in a social media post.

The Canadian government says about 85 per cent of Canadian goods are shipped to the U.S. without tariffs under a free-trade agreement. Most products outside the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, also known as CUSMA in Canada, are subject to a 25 per cent tariff.

It was not immediately clear if Trump’s threatened tariffs would apply to CUSMA-compliant products. The trade deal is up for review this year.