Trump threatens 50 pc tariff on Bombardier jets over Gulfstream dispute

Washington: US President Donald Trump escalated his trade confrontation with Canada on Thursday, threatening a 50% tariff on all Canadian-made aircraft and vowing to "decertify" planes from the country's top manufacturers.

The threat, issued via social media, marks the latest flare-up in an intensifying feud between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. It follows a weekend warning from the US president to impose 100% tariffs on all Canadian imports if Ottawa proceeds with a reported trade arrangement with China.

In his latest ultimatum, Trump alleged that Canada has "wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly" refused to grant safety certification to business jets produced by Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace. He claimed the move effectively blocks the U.S. company from the Canadian market.

In retaliation, Trump said the US would pull the certification for aircraft built by Montreal-based Bombardier, specifically mentioning the Global Express line.

“If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50% Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America,” Trump wrote.

Representatives for Bombardier and the Canadian Ministry of Transport did not immediately offer comment late Thursday.

The move revives a trade battle from Trump’s first term, when the US Commerce Department levied heavy duties on Bombardier’s CSeries jets in 2017 over subsidy allegations. Although the US International Trade Commission eventually overturned those duties, the legal battle prompted Bombardier to exit the commercial passenger market and pivot exclusively to business aviation.

The friction comes as both nations prepare for a mandatory 2026 review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Carney on Wednesday that his public criticism of American trade policy could jeopardise Canada’s standing during those negotiations.

Carney, however, has remained defiant. In a phone call with Trump on Monday, the Prime Minister reportedly stood by a high-profile speech he delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, where he condemned "economic coercion" by global powers.

Carney told the president that Canada intends to diversify its economy through a dozen new international trade deals to reduce its reliance on the United States.

The Prime Minister’s remarks in Davos, which were widely interpreted as a rebuke of Trump's "America First" agenda, were seen by many attendees as upstaging the US president and have further soured the personal relationship between the two leaders.

With inputs from AP