President Donald Trump on Thursday intensified an already strained trade relationship with Canada, warning that aircraft sold into the United States could face a hefty 50 percent tariff. The threat marks a sharp escalation in his ongoing dispute with Ottawa and adds fresh pressure to bilateral ties as frictions with Prime Minister Mark Carney deepen.
The announcement came via social media, days after Trump floated an even more severe measure—suggesting a 100 percent tariff on Canadian imports if the country moved ahead with a trade agreement with China. Canada has since completed that deal, though Trump did not specify when or how the proposed penalties might take effect.
Tariff Threat Linked To Jet Certification Dispute
According to the president, the latest warning is directly tied to Canada’s refusal to certify certain business jets produced in the United States. Trump said Ottawa declined to approve aircraft built by Gulfstream Aerospace at its Savannah, Georgia facility, prompting a retaliatory response from Washington.
On Truth Social, Trump posted, “Based on the fact that Canada has wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 Jets, one of the greatest, most technologically advanced airplanes ever made, we are hereby decertifying their Bombardier Global Expresses, and all Aircraft made in Canada, until such time as Gulfstream, a Great American Company, is fully certified, as it should have been many years ago.”
“If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50 percent tariff on any and all aircraft sold into the United States of America,” Trump wrote, as quoted by PTI.
He went further, stating that the U.S. would move to decertify Canadian-made aircraft in response. Among those singled out were Bombardier’s Global Express business jets, which Trump said were “hereby decertified.”
Bombardier In Crosshairs Again
The decision could have wide-reaching implications for the aviation industry. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that 150 Bombardier Global Express aircraft are currently registered in the United States and operated by 115 different companies. Any disruption to their certification status could ripple through corporate aviation, leasing firms, and maintenance providers.
As of Thursday evening, Bombardier had not issued a public response to the president’s remarks. Canada’s transport ministry also declined to comment immediately, leaving uncertainty over how Ottawa may counter the latest U.S. move.
A Familiar Trade Flashpoint
This is not the first time Bombardier has been drawn into U.S.-Canada trade tensions. During Trump’s first term in 2017, the U.S. Commerce Department imposed duties on Bombardier’s commercial passenger jets, arguing the company benefited from Canadian government subsidies and sold aircraft below cost.
That case ultimately fell apart when the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that the imports had not harmed American manufacturers.