Trump Announces 35% Tariff on Canadian Goods

President Trump posted a letter to social media Thursday evening announcing Canadian goods will be subject to a 35% tariff rate starting Aug. 1, an aggressive increase to the 25% tariff first announced by Trump in February, the AP reports. Trump justified the tariffs as necessary to manage America's opioid crisis, which he said was partially due to fentanyl being smuggled into the US via Canada. The two countries have been at the negotiating table discussing trade after Canada dropped plans for a tax on US technology firms following pressure from the White House, and the BBC reports they are within days of a self-appointed deadline to settle on a new trade agreement.

Trump closed the letter by suggesting if Canada assists the US in preventing fentanyl from entering the country, then Trump would "perhaps" consider adjusting the tariff rates. While more than 20 other countries have received similar tariff letters this week, Canada, as America's second-largest trading partner after Mexico, has become something of a foil to Trump. It has imposed its own retaliatory tariffs on US goods and pushed back on Trump's taunts of making Canada the 51st state. Trump also says new tariffs on the European Union are coming soon.