Trump Targets Canada and India on Truth Social
Canada's Plan to Recognize Palestinian State
"It Will Make Trade Negotiations Difficult"
On the eve of the reciprocal tariff implementation date (August 1), U.S. President Donald Trump continued to issue pressure statements targeting countries that have yet to reach a trade agreement.
At 12:29 a.m. on July 31 (local time), President Trump posted on his self-created social networking service, Truth Social, "Wow! Canada just announced that it supports statehood for Palestine. That will make it very difficult for us to reach a trade deal with them. Oh Canada!!!"
This appears to be a response to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's statement the previous day, in which he said, "Canada intends to recognize Palestine as a state at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September." This suggests that diplomatic differences regarding the Israel-Palestine issue will also affect trade negotiations. President Trump has maintained a lukewarm stance on the so-called "two-state solution," which recognizes both Israel and Palestine as independent states.
Previously, the United States had announced plans to impose a 35% tariff on Canada. If an agreement with the United States is not reached by August 1, this rate is expected to be applied.
On the same day at midnight, President Trump also posted about India on Truth Social. He wrote, "I don't care what India does with Russia. Even if they drag their dead economy down together, it's none of my business."
He added, "We have done very little business with India, and India's tariffs are so high that they are among the highest in the world. Similarly, Russia and the United States barely trade with each other. Let's keep it that way."
President Trump had previously announced that, starting August 1, a 25% reciprocal tariff would be imposed on imports from India. He also warned of additional sanctions, citing India's imports of energy and military equipment from Russia.
One day before the tariff implementation date, the United States concluded trade agreements with South Korea, the United Kingdom, the European Union (EU), Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia.
However, Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico, and Taiwan have not yet reached a trade agreement with the United States. The previous day, President Trump signed an executive order to impose an additional 40% tariff on Brazil, bringing the total tariff rate to 50%, up from the existing 10%.
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