Trump says he will double his planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, reiterating that Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state would make all tariffs ‘totally disappear’

President Donald Trump has made headlines again with his comments on trade relations with Canada. He stated that he would double his planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, a move that would significantly impact trade between the two nations. Trump also reiterated a controversial suggestion that if Canada were to become the 51st U.S. state, all tariffs would “totally disappear.”

According to Fortune,

Trump says he will double his planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, reiterating that Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state would make all tariffs ‘totally disappear’

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% for Canada, escalating a trade war with the United States’ northern neighbor.

Trump said on social media that the increase of the tariffs set to take effect on Wednesday is a response to the price increases that the provincial government of Ontario put on electricity sold to the United States.

“I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social.

The U.S. president has given a variety of explanations for his antagonism of Canada, saying that his separate 25% tariffs are about fentanyl smuggling and voicing objections to Canada putting high taxes on dairy imports that penalize U.S. farmers. But he continued to call for Canada to become part of the United States as a solution, a form of taunting that has infuriated Canadian leaders.

“The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State,” Trump posted on Tuesday. “This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.”

The U.S. stock market promptly fell following his social media post, triggering more concerns after a brutal selloff on Monday that puts Trump under pressure to show he has a legitimate plan to grow the economy instead of perhaps pushing it into a recession.

Trump taunts Canada: “They withdrew their little threat.”

Trump taunts Canada: "They withdrew their little threat."

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025年3月12日 13:32

Trump was set to deliver a Tuesday afternoon address to the Business Roundtable, a trade association of CEOs that during the 2024 campaign he wooed with the promise of lower corporate tax rates for domestic manufacturers. But his tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, steel, aluminum — with plans for more to possibly come on Europe, Brazil, South Korea, pharmaceutical drugs, copper, lumber and computer chips — would amount to a massive tax hike.

The stock market’s vote of no confidence over the past two weeks puts the president in a bind between his enthusiasm for taxing imports and his brand as a politician who understands business based on his own experiences in real estate, media and marketing.

Harvard University economist Larry Summers, a former treasury secretary for the Clinton administration, on Monday put the odds of a recession at 50-50.

“All the emphasis on tariffs and all the ambiguity and uncertainty has both chilled demand and caused prices to go up,” Summers posted on X. “We are getting the worst of both worlds – concerns about inflation and an economic downturn and more uncertainty about the future and that slows everything.”

The investment bank Goldman Sachs revised down its growth forecast for this year to 1.7% from 2.2% previously. It modestly increased its recession probability to 20% “because the White House has the option to pull back policy changes if downside risks begin to look more serious.”

Trump has tried to assure the public that his tariffs would cause a bit of a “transition” to the economy, with the taxes prodding more companies to begin the years-long process of relocating factories to the United States to avoid the tariffs. But he set off alarms in an interview broadcast on Sunday in which he didn’t rule out a possible recession.

“I hate to predict things like that,” Trump said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” ”There is a period of transition, because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing. And there are always periods of — it takes a little time. It takes a little time. But I don’t — I think it should be great for us. I mean, I think it should be great.”

Trump Won’t Rule Out Recession as Markets Plunge; Musk and Rubio Clash in White House: A Closer Look

Seth takes a closer look at the markets falling dramatically as Donald Trump refuses to rule out a recession amid rising prices and confusion over his on-again off-again trade war.

The promise of great things ahead did not eliminate anxiety, with the S&P 500 stock index tumbling 2.7% on Monday in an unmistakable Trump slump that has erased the market gains that greeted his victory in November 2024. The S&P 500 index fell roughly 0.4% in Tuesday morning trading.

The White House after the markets closed on Monday highlighted that the tariffs were prompting companies such as Honda, Volkswagen and Volvo to consider new investments in U.S. factories.

It issued a statement that Trump’s combination of tariffs, deregulations and increased energy production had led industry leaders to promise to “create thousands of new jobs.”

The significance of thousands of additional jobs was unclear, as the U.S. economy added 2.2 million jobs last year alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The idea of Canada becoming a U.S. state is not a new one, but it is widely regarded as unrealistic and not supported by either the Canadian or U.S. governments. Such a proposal would face significant political, cultural, and logistical challenges, and it is not considered a serious policy option.

Trump’s comments come at a time when trade relations are already complex, with ongoing negotiations and disputes under agreements like the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The potential increase in tariffs could lead to retaliatory measures from Canada, further complicating the trade landscape.

Overall, Trump’s remarks highlight his continued focus on aggressive trade policies and his willingness to use tariffs as a tool to achieve his economic goals. However, the feasibility and implications of such measures remain subjects of significant debate and concern.

Congressional Districts for a 51st State

“What if Canada chose to join the United States? What would possible House Districts look like?”

(What’s in it for Canada is the economy advantages of being inside the American Union, instead of outside… What’s in it for the US is gaining all of Canada’s resources and wealth, without too much accommodation needed, since the cultures are very similar)

As intuitive as it may be to Canadians, it would be challenging for Americans to agree to add Canada as 3 territories and 10 new states with their current partisan realities: Canadian has 6 tiny provinces in population. It would be like adding 6 more Delawares.

With the American government as-is structure this would:

• Throw off the balance of the Senate by adding 20 new left-leaning senators.
• Emphasize the least representative elements of the electoral college by creating more small-population states.
• Create many more states with a single at-large representative in the House, as the American House of Representatives is currently capped at 435 voting members, so the new Canadian representatives would have to come out of the existing pool of representatives in a zero-sum game.

But, if Canada was added as a single state, the problems with the electoral college and the senate largely go away (It’s like adding a new, poorer, California in population), and the American House can be expanded.

So. that’s my scenario: America agrees to add 49 new Representatives to their House to represent Canada, and the 2030 census will reallocate the larger pool across all the states.

And… Canada, for it’s part, decides to create districts for the 2025 elections by combining existing federal ridings… creating the above proposed map.

Demographic Features:

• Average Population of existing American Districts (2020): 760,367
• Average Population of proposed Canadian Districts (2021): 752,143
• District with the Most People of Existing American Districts: Delaware at-Large (989,948)
• District with the Least People of Existing American Districts: Rhode Island 1st (545,085)

Largest 5 Proposed Canadian Districts:

1. 40th District: 857,259 (East Alberta, West Saskatchewan)
2. 44th District: 855,121 (Interior BC)
3. 38th District: 845,629 (Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, incl. most of Saskatoon and slice of Calgary)
4. 23rd District: 836,726 (Northwest Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton)
5. 24th District: 827,814 (North Toronto, Vaughan, Richmond Hill)

Smallest 5 Proposed Canadian Districts:

1. 33rd District: 673,422 (Northeastern Ontario, Southwestern Quebec)
2. 17th District: 678,253 (Eastern Ontario, Kingston & Western Ottawa Valley)
3. 8th District: 682,866 (Eastern Townships)
4. 11th District: 687,093 (Central Montreal)
5. 26th District: 694,087 (Hamilton)

(Information for American District/Canadian Riding sizes came from Wikipedia, and playing around on Excel and Paint. This came out of me wondering about the relative size of American Congressional Districts compared to Canadian Ridings (they are huge).)

And this is CANADA now?

This is Canada now. pic.twitter.com/VEEd8iWDsQ

— Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld_) March 12, 2025