Ontario, Canada, Premier Doug Ford upped the ante in the tariff war with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying he would “not hesitate” to cut off electricity entirely to three U.S. states.
Ford made the comments in an interview with CNBC, one day after a 25% export tax on electricity took effect on 1.5 million homes in New York, Michigan and Minnesota.
His remarks came shortly after Trump said in a post to Truth Social that beginning Wednesday, he would slap a 50% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum, a retaliatory tariff over Ford’s 25% tariff on the electricity. Ford said he’ll take it a step further if Trump continues with the trade war.
“That’s the last thing I want to do,” Ford told CNBC. “I want to send more electricity down to the U.S., to our closest allies or our best neighbors in the world. I want to send more electricity.”
However, “Is it a tool in our tool kit? One hundred percent, and as he continues to hurt Canadian families, Ontario families, I won’t hesitate to do that. That’s the last thing I want to do,” Ford told CNBC.
Ford's threat comes a week after saying he would cut off electricity to the U.S. "with a smile on my face."
In a second post to Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump vowed Canada “will pay a financial price” for the shutoff threat.
“Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area? Who made these decisions, and why? And can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat?” he said in the post.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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