U.S. President Donald Trump visited a Ford factory in Dearborn, Mich., Tuesday and dismissed the relevance of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, saying the U.S. doesn’t need the trade deal and that “Canada would love it.”
“The problem is we don’t need their product. We don’t need cars made in Canada, we don’t need cars made in Mexico, we want to make them here,” Trump said to reporters.
Trump’s stop at the Ford plant comes as part of a broader effort to spotlight U.S. manufacturing and counter fears about a weakening job market.
“All U.S. automakers are doing great,” Trump said, later adding that the “quality is unbelievable.”
The Michigan plant Trump visited is where the company produces its flagship F-150 pickup trucks.
Trump said CUSMA has no “real advantage” for the U.S and is “irrelevant” to him. The trade deal comes up for mandatory review this year with formal talks set in mid-January ahead of a July deadline.
The president has previously described the agreement as “transitional,” suggesting it may have outlived its usefulness during a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House last October.
While CUSMA has helped Canada avoid the widespread impacts of tariffs on the economy, the steel and aluminum, lumber and auto sectors have been hit hard.
The upcoming CUSMA review presents the three partners with a set of options in July: renew the pact for another 16 years, withdraw from it entirely or opt for neither.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has flagged several long-standing trade disputes expected to feature prominently in the talks, including Canada’s dairy supply management system and allegations of subsidies in the softwood lumber industry.
Greer has also raised concerns about non-tariff barriers, such as Canada’s Online Streaming Act and Online News Act, along with provincial bans on U.S. alcohol imposed in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.
He has further suggested the administration is weighing the possibly of dismantling the trilateral pact in favour of negotiating separate bilateral agreements with Canada and Mexico
Trump’s economic agenda
Tuesday’s visit – his third to a battleground state in just over a month to promote his economic agenda – comes after Republicans suffered setbacks in November’s off-year elections in Virgina, New Jersey and other states as concerns about everyday cost-of-living pressures mounted.
Trump has previously dismissed worries over affordability as a “hoax” fuelled by Democrats. Even so, while his administration has imposed broad tariffs on U.S. trading partners, it has carved out notable exceptions for the auto sector, including extending reduced import duties on foreign-made auto parts through 2030.
Speaking on the factory floor, Trump highlighted tariffs on vehicles imported from China and said he expects to prevail at the U.S. Supreme Court, which is currently considering the legality of his wide-ranging tariff measures.
With files from The Associated Press, The Canadian Press, CTV National News’ Jeremie Charron
