He called it “laughable” that Canada would become an associate member, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed earlier in the day
during her State of the Union speech.
“Canada’s been a terrible trade partner,” Trump told reporters at the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, when asked about the proposal. “If I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” he added.
Trump left open the possibility that he would accept the arrangement if he believed it was made with “a good intention,” but warned that the U.S. could otherwise impose “very heavy tariffs on Europe.”