Trump Threatens Tariffs Over EU Plan to Make Canada Associate Member (2026-09-17)

US President Donald Trump has threatened retaliatory trade measures if the European Union proceeds with a proposal to grant Canada associate membership, saying Washington could impose "very serious tariffs" or restrict trade with Europe.

Speaking to reporters while travelling to an event in North Carolina, Trump described the proposal as "laughable" and said the US response would hinge on the EU's intentions. A move made with "bad intention" would draw "very heavy tariffs", he said, while one made with "good intention" would not.

France's Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad pushed back on Thursday, saying Washington had no authority over the EU's geopolitical choices. "It is not up to the United States — or anyone else — to choose the political and geopolitical direction of the Europeans," Haddad said in an interview with French television channel Public Senat. He noted the EU already had a relationship with Canada and was entitled to strengthen it.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the associate membership proposal on Wednesday during her annual State of the Union speech. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the address, where von der Leyen called for closer cooperation among allies in what she described as "an openly hostile world".

The proposal comes amid security concerns in Europe linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while both Europe and Canada have faced trade tensions with the US and a more assertive China. Carney said earlier this month that he was pursuing a "unique alliance" with the EU as relations between Ottawa and Washington have worsened since Trump's return to the White House, with tariffs affecting tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade.

The EU has traditionally been reluctant to pursue flexible alliances lacking formal legal status. One EU diplomat said the proposal had come as a surprise, noting that "nobody really knows what it means". Carney is scheduled to address the European Parliament on Thursday morning.