Nations Denounce Trump Tariff on Metals and Warn of Retaliation
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Canada, Mexico and European countries criticized President Trump’s levies on steel and aluminum with fears that they could ignite a global trade war.
Nations targeted by President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum decried the measures as unfair Tuesday and threatened to retaliate in a growing trade dispute that threatens to further roil economic markets and strain the United States’ relations with major allies.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, the United States’ biggest supplier of both metals, described Mr. Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports as “unjustified” and “unacceptable.”
Mr. Trudeau said he hoped to avert the imposition of the tariffs — which will not go into effect until March 12 — by highlighting their “negative impacts on Americans and Canadians.”
He added that Canada would “also be working with our international partners and friends” to pressure the Trump administration. Asked whether he was ready to respond with countertariffs, Mr. Trudeau said Canada “will stand up strongly and firmly if we need to.”
European countries also warned of retaliation in response to Mr. Trump’s tariffs. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, called the levies “unjustified.’’
Leaders in Mexico said the tariffs were “unjustifiable” and risked undermining the economic integration of the North American market that was forged over the past two generations.