Washington, August 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on cars manufactured in Canada, accusing the neighbouring country of treating the United States unfairly and saying Washington does not want Canadian-made vehicles produced for the US market.
“We’re going to be doing tariffs on their cars,” Trump told reporters during an event at the Oval Office. “Because we don’t want them to make cars for America,” he said.
Trump did not specify the proposed tariff rate or indicate when the new duties could come into effect.
“Canada treat us very badly,” he said, while also accusing Ottawa of “ripping us off on trade”. He added that Canada wanted to be treated like a US state, but “we can’t do that anymore”.
The remarks came as Trump signed an executive order directing the US government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America”. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller attended the event.
The White House described the order as an action “honouring the American history of the Great Lakes and renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America”. The administration did not immediately clarify how the new designation would be handled in dealings with Canada, which shares the lake with the US.
Trump also commented on several international issues during his interaction with reporters.
On the devastating floods in Nepal, he said the US had contacted the Nepalese government and offered assistance, describing the disaster as “brutal”. The US has announced emergency aid and the deployment of a disaster-response adviser following the floods.
On Iran, Trump said the country remained under severe economic and military pressure despite the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He said Iran had “very little capacity” and cautioned that the reopening of the waterway did not mean the US military operation had ended.
“It doesn’t mean we finished with the military,” Trump said.
He ruled out immediate talks with Tehran, saying there was “not a lot to speak with Iran” and that the US was not looking to meet with Iranian officials.
Asked whether Russia could face consequences if it continued its ties with Iran, Trump said the decision would depend on Moscow’s conduct. He also dismissed concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack on NATO territory, saying, “He’s not going to be attacking.”
Trump further declined to rule out possible US sanctions against Chinese banks. Asked whether Washington was considering such measures, he responded, “Who says I’m not?” before adding, “I don’t have to announce everything.”
The US and Canada have highly integrated automotive industries, with vehicles and components frequently crossing the border during manufacturing. Trade in the sector is governed largely by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which came into effect in July 2020.
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