Trump’s Bombardier Barbecue: A Trade‑War Standoff Over Jets

Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Monday to declare that Canada’s Bombardier jets simply aren’t “good enough” for the U.S. market. “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” he wrote, adding that the company should build planes here and stop treating America like a “piggybank.” He closed the post with a nostalgic‑sounding rallying cry: “BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA.”

The jab arrives just two weeks into a renewed trade spat that began when Washington slapped 50 % tariffs on roughly $28 billion of Canadian exports. Those duties went into effect last month after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (the article mistakenly names Mark Carney) walked away from negotiations. Ottawa has promised a dollar‑for‑dollar retaliation, with its own tariffs set to start at midnight on Tuesday.

This isn’t the first time Trump has singled out Bombardier by name. Earlier this year he claimed he’d threatened the Montreal‑based aircraft maker because a wealthy friend couldn’t purchase a Gulfstream jet – an American product – in Canada. According to Trump, Canada was blocking Gulfstream’s certification to protect Bombardier’s Global Express, and the president supposedly swooped in with a “major tariff” that forced Canada to certify Gulfstream in a matter of hours.

The reality is a bit messier. Transport Canada did indeed certify Gulfstream’s G500, G600, G700 and G800 models in February, but the process took weeks, not two hours, and no new tariffs were imposed. Moreover, the president has no legal authority to ban a foreign manufacturer’s aircraft from the United States; that power rests with the Federal Aviation Administration, which bases decisions on safety, not trade politics.

Trump also repeated an old, debunked claim that Canada “blocks our GREAT American banks.” In fact, sixteen U.S. bank subsidiaries operate in Canada under a long‑standing Schedule II arrangement, with Citibank’s presence dating back to 1919.

When asked about the possibility of resuming trade talks, the president turned the conversation into a story about a private‑jet purchase. He said a friend tried to buy a Gulfstream, hit a certification snag in Canada, and that prompted him to threaten tariffs on Bombardier and other products. Trump portrayed the outcome as a swift, decisive victory, even claiming that the U.S. loses “anywhere from $60 to $100 billion” a year in a trade deficit with Canada. Official figures from the Office of the United States Trade Representative show a much smaller gap – about $48 billion in goods and a $28 billion services surplus, netting roughly $20 billion.

Whether the latest Twitter‑style tirade will shift the tone of negotiations remains to be seen. What’s clear is that both governments are gearing up for another round of duties, and ordinary Canadians and Americans alike may end up paying higher prices for everything from coffee beans to car parts – and perhaps even for the next business‑class flight.