Trump says Canada becoming EU associate member may be a hostile act

Trump says Canada becoming EU associate member may be a hostile act
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed Wednesday that Canada become the bloc’s first “associate member.” It provoked a fresh tariff threat from US President Donald Trump.

The move is aimed at shoring up their economies in the face of increasing trade tensions with the United States. But Trump said Wednesday the US could put “heavy tariffs” on the European Union if he considers any new agreement with Canada to be a “hostile act.”

“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility,” he told reporters.

Canada is currently locked in a trade war with the US, its largest trading partner, adding urgency to efforts to get closer to the the European Union.