Doug Ford told reporters on Monday that Canada must “throw everything and the kitchen sink” at the United States after Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian auto parts and cars to 50%. Trump then mocked Ford as “bluster” and used Truth Social to deepen the dispute, turning a trade threat into a public exchange of insults.
Doug Ford and the 50%
Ford also said, “I have a lot of real estate on my ass, so he [Trump] has a lot of room to kiss my ass,” adding, “The red states – we’re gonna hit hard.” He followed with, “You think an insult from him [Trump] hurts me? Bring it on, buddy. You’re a loser.”
The tariff threat is aimed at Canadian auto parts and cars, and Ford’s response was framed around retaliation rather than negotiation. In practical terms, a 50% tariff would raise the cost of crossing the border for the products tied to this dispute, with the risk falling on businesses and workers tied to that trade.
Trump and Doug Ford
Trump said there is a lot of “bluster” coming from Ford on Monday and called him the “less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive” version of his brother Rob Ford. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “America has been carrying Canada for decades, but no longer!” and said, “Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive.”
He also referred to Mark Carney as “Governor Carney” and called Ford “Flunky, Ford.” Trump wrote that “much of the Electricity, Oil, and Gas that Canada gets is transported through the U.S.A.” His posts recast the tariff fight as a larger claim about dependence between Canada and the United States.
Canada for and the United States
Ford said Canada should hit back hard, including at “the red states,” after Trump’s tariff threat. That puts the dispute into a direct political lane, with Ford signaling that any response would not stay limited to trade jargon or behind-the-scenes talks.
What happens next is whether Trump turns the 50% tariff threat into policy. For now, the exchange leaves Canadian auto parts and cars at the center of a trade fight that has moved from tariffs into a personal fight between Trump and Doug Ford.
