A US senator has warned that Donald Trump’s “on again off again” tariffs risks America “heading towards a recession.”
The Delaware Senator Chris Coons warned the US President is “driving a wedge between the US and out closest partners.”
Speaking to CNN the Democrat said, “I think we are heading towards a recession because of Trump’s on again, off again, let’s hit all of our allies, let’s tariff everything that comes into the United States approach.”
“My state of Delaware exports more to Canada than any other place in the world and imports more from Canada than any other place in the world,” he added.
“And the on again, off again, double-digit massive tariffs… is creating chaos in the markets.”
This comes as Trump doubled tariffs on Canadian imports to 50% which took affect on Wednesday and today Ontario announced a 25% retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth C$29.8bn (£16bn) from Thursday.
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The Canadian Finance Minister Melanie Joly said the tariffs on the US includes steel products worth more than £6.8 billion and on aluminium worth more than £1.6 billion.
Joly said during a news conference, “I want you to remember this – Canada is your best friend, best neighbour and best ally.
“Canada is also America’s best and biggest customer. We buy more American goods than the UK, France, China and Japan altogether.
“Canada is not the one driving up the cost of your groceries or of your gasoline or any of your construction. Canada is not the one putting your jobs at risk.”
Joly continued saying that Canada is “holding strong and will continue to do so together.”
“Make no mistake though, this is going to be a day-to-day fight.
“This is now the second round of unjustified tariffs levelled against Canada.
“The excuse for the first round was exaggerated claims about the border, the latest excuse is national security despite the fact that Canadian steel and aluminium adds to American security, not taking away from it.
“There is a threat of further and broader tariffs on 2 April still looming. The excuse for those tariffs shifts every day.
The only constant in this unjustified, unjustifiable trade war seems to be President Trump’s talk of annexing our country through economic coercion.
She added, “Canadians have made it very clear we will not back down and we will not give in.”
