Ontario Premier Doug Ford isn't pulling any punches when it comes to President Donald Trump's trade war. In a Sunday interview on ABC News' "This Week," Ford accused Trump of bullying Canada and warned that the escalating tariffs could backfire on the U.S. economy.
"Everyone's feeling bullied by President Trump, and this is the worst thing you could do for the American economy," Ford said. "I just don't see the purpose. It's absolutely backwards."
Ford's argument is simple: the two economies are deeply intertwined, and unwinding that relationship hurts both sides. U.S. Trade Representative data show U.S.-Canada goods and services trade totaled $872.3 billion in 2025. That's a lot of economic activity to put at risk.
The tension has been building for weeks. Washington imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods on Aug. 22 after negotiations collapsed. Canada isn't backing down, either. It will retaliate Sept. 8 with tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% on C$27.6 billion of U.S. imports, matching Washington "dollar for dollar."
Auto Tariffs Raise the Stakes
The fight is spreading beyond raw materials. Trump has threatened 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel starting Jan. 1. That's a big deal for the auto industry, where Canadian-built vehicles represented about 6% of U.S. auto sales in 2025, according to Barclays data.
Ford didn't mince words about the potential fallout. "It'd be devastating on both countries, but it'd be definitely devastating on the U.S.," he said. "A tariff on Canada is nothing more than a tax on American people, and it's probably the worst move he could ever do."
He also pushed back on the idea that America doesn't need Canada. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says Canada supplied 3.9 million barrels of crude per day in 2025, roughly 63% of total U.S. crude imports. That's not a number you can easily replace.
When asked whether Trump's new agreement giving the U.S. majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil strengthened Washington's hand, Ford had a pointed response: "Who do you want to deal with? An unstable government like Venezuela, or do you want to deal with your No. 1 trading partner, your No. 1 ally?"
MarketDash reached out to the White House for a statement on Ford's comments but did not receive an immediate response.
Lake Ontario Feud Turns Personal
The dispute has even spilled into the absurd. Trump last week ordered the U.S. government to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America." Ford responded with his own Saturday X post, "It's Lake Ontario, now and always," alongside a giant lakeside sign. On ABC, he compared Trump's order to "something out of 'Saturday Night Live.'"
But Ford was careful to separate Americans from their president. "I love the American people. Canadians love the American people. We differentiate between the great American people and the president," he said.
It's a diplomatic tightrope, but Ford seems determined to keep the focus on the economic damage he says the tariffs will cause. Whether Trump listens remains to be seen.
