Trump Puts Canada’s Aerospace Company Bombardier In The Crosshairs

Canada and the Mark Carney Carnival are still refusing to accept reality. President Trump is not playing a game with Carney. Does he troll him? Of course he does, but he never does it originally when he is serious about an issue.

To use a boxing metaphor, Carney is an untrained middleweight who thinks he can stand in the middle of the ring and trade blows with a seasoned heavyweight. The great thing about boxing is it’s a mano-a-mano thing, but that isn’t the case with countries. Carney’s denial of reality, narcissism, and blatant stupidity are dragging the entire country down.

A perfect example came about when Carney recently told President Trump to “stop trying to be tough.” To Canada's detriment, Carney doesn’t grasp that Trump isn’t acting tough because he doesn’t have to. Carney is the only one trying to act tough, and he's projecting his insecurities onto President Trump.

There are ordinary citizens who are consumed with Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), but they aren’t the Prime Minister of Canada trying to negotiate trade deals with the United States. The way he has conducted himself throughout this entire process makes it appear as though he wants to act like a hero while simultaneously riling up Canadian citizens to not only hate Trump but also hate America and Americans.

Carney has not shared hard numbers with his citizens. He should, but he won't because that truth would erode his support and undermine his braggadocious image.

For instance, 68 percent of Canada’s exports are sent to the United States. A full one-third of Canada's entire GDP is directly tied to trade with us. The Bank of Montreal (BMO) estimates that the 50 percent tariffs could cut half a percentage point from Canada's GDP growth. So, in August, when Trump posted on Truth Social that “We have a deal,” and even stopped the tariffs for three days, everyone was pleased.

However, that was when Carney walked away, citing a dispute over protections for the French language, sovereignty issues, and automotive terms that he claimed would gradually diminish Canadian industry.

The White House wasted no time responding, saying Canada had been offered the most generous trade deal of any American trading partner.

Since then, things have remained contentious. Carney has made his statements about toughness, and Trump has renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America. Carney also told parliament that U.S.-Canada relations will not "go back to normal any time soon" and that Canada must adjust to a "new normal."

What he didn’t say is that this isn't a good thing. For decades, Canada has benefited from unequal access to the American market, exporting more than $420 billion in goods to the U.S. each year. At the same time, Canada has restricted American dairy products, limited imports of certain agricultural goods from the U.S., and demanded exemptions for cultural sovereignty that effectively keep American companies out of Canadian media.

If Carney needs more bad news, President Trump is happy to oblige. Yesterday, he said the Canadian aerospace company Bombardier should be banned from selling its planes in the U.S. This announcement opened a new front in the trade war, coming just hours before new Canadian tariffs on American goods took effect.

“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough! Over 50 percent of their revenue comes from the United States — They live off American Buyers, American Companies, American Airports, and American Service — All while Canada blocks our GREAT American Banks, and Companies, throughout the U.S.A. They even blocked Gulfstream Aerospace from doing business in Canada — Completely unjust and unfair! That Era is OVER! If they want our Market, they must build here and stop treating America like a “piggy bank.” BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA. AMERICA FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

The manufacturer sells about 55 percent of its products in the United States. The company is based in Montreal and primarily manufactures airliners in Ottawa; however, it makes some component parts in the USA and Mexico

Bombardier's sales restrictions in the USA are justified on the basis of reciprocity, especially given the non-tariff barriers that the U.S. company Gulfstream faces from its Canadian competitors. It will be interesting to see if the Department of Commerce or the USTR implements any regulatory barriers.

Trade wars necessitate belt-tightening domestically, and Trump’s announcement prompted a response from Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., whose state hosts Bombardier’s U.S. headquarters.

Moran posted on X:

“The presence of Bombardier in Wichita supports a local workforce of more than a thousand employees, who contribute their talent and expertise to our nation’s defense and aerospace capabilities.”

“This afternoon, I reached out to the Trump administration to make certain the President is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers at Bombardier and in the Bombardier supply chain.”

Sure, there are issues, but the issues on the U.S. side of the border are much less significant than what is taking place on the Canadian side. Carney has plenty of ego, but no leverage; in a trade dispute, leverage is necessary, and ego is counterproductive.

“Elbows up” sounds like a nice battle cry, but it means nothing when the ice collapses underneath you. Good Luck with that.