Peter Navarro, a senior White House counselor for trade and manufacturing, used a Washington conference on Tuesday to unload on Canadian lobbyists. He brushed off a question about Canada with, "Do you really want to spend any time on Canada?" then added, "Any Canadians here? Like, please, if you're on K Street, get the hell out of the country."
He tied his comments to national security concerns around trade with China, arguing the U.S. needs to rebalance its trade with all countries to protect against Beijing's dumping and subsidies. He made a point of saying that includes Canada.
Navarro has been one of Donald Trump's most persistent tariff hawks since the early days of Trump's first administration. His tone mirrors parts of the administration's internal debates as trade relations between the U.S. and Canada remain deeply strained.
Pressed on Canada's role in the broader security picture, he said, "The problem you have is you lobby this country and you've been successful in the past and you think you can keep doing that." He continued, "Memo to Canada: you cannot do that. OK? That game is up. And if you interfere in our elections in Maine or Michigan you will pay even more dearly."
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That backdrop includes the president's recurring threats aimed at Canada and his public suggestion that it become the 51st state, which has soured public sentiment and boosted support for Prime Minister Mark Carney during on-again, off-again talks.
Those negotiations were designed to exchange lower U.S. tariffs for other concessions, but they unraveled in August. The U.S. then slapped on new tariffs, and Carney responded with retaliatory measures early this month. Those measures are likely to bite hardest in border states such as Michigan and Maine, both crucial in November's midterms.
Navarro closed on a gentler note: "I love the Canadian people. I do not love the Canadian negotiators." If you're watching markets, tariff moves tend to ripple through cross border supply chains and regions in the political spotlight. Keep an eye on where the new levies land and how the election calendar shapes the next moves.
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