U.S. politicians condemn Trump’s ‘chaotic’ trade war against Canada

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The border state took in about $55.5 billion in Canadian goods last year — 80 per cent from Ontario — while sending about $28.8 back across, most of it over the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, per the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

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Abdul El-Sayed, currently running for Senate in Michigan, accused Trump of “escalating a trade war with Canada for his own vanity.

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“Even before this new round, Canadian tariffs were costing Michigan families an additional $3,200 a year,” he said on X. “It’s going to get much worse.”

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul offered a more concise assessment.

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“Needlessly picking fights with our allies and raising prices here at home,” she wrote on X. “That’s Trump’s economic policy in a nutshell.”

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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the new tariffs were yet another burden on Americans already facing high costs.

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“Trump’s chaotic trade wars are bleeding the American people dry, and now he’s coming back for more,” he posted to X. “This nonsense with Canada should have never gone into effect. It must end now.”

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Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said on X that the tariffs will lead to “higher costs for small businesses, farmers and all Minnesota families.”

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“Canada is Minnesota’s #1 trading partner,” the candidate for governor to replace Tim Walz wrote. “Minnesotans are paying for Trump’s chaos.”

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Minnesota imports more than $19 billion worth of products from Canada annually, more than two-thirds of which is energy from crude oil, natural gas and electricity, as reported by CBS.

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Maine Governor Janet Mills also warned of higher costs and uncertainty, saying Trump’s latest escalation “would further strain our bond with our closest trading partner.”

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“Maine has had enough of this unending trade whiplash,” she wrote on X.

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Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins said the repeated swings in U.S.-Canada trade policy were already creating problems for businesses in her state.

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She said Maine imports about US$2 billion in non-petroleum products from Canada each year and that businesses, farmers and lobster fishers had expressed concerns about tariffs, limited domestic supply chains and possible Canadian retaliation.

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“If the Administration proceeds with these tariffs, they will increase costs for Maine families, as most businesses will have no choice but to pass on the tariffs to their customers through higher prices,” she shared on X.

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