U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he’s terminating all trade discussions with Canada effective immediately.

“We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period,” Trump said in a social media post.

He says he’s pulling back from the bilateral trade discussions because Canada plans to move ahead with its digital services tax (DST), which requires web giants pay a special tax.

Set to take effect on June 30, the DST requires U.S. companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb pay a three per cent levy on revenue from Canadian users — a policy enacted by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government that the Parliamentary Budget Office projects will bring in billions of dollars in revenue.

  • EndOfLine@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    “We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying…”

    How has he still not learned that it is Americans and American businesses that pay the tariffs.

    • N0t_5ure@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      He knows, but he also knows that his base is too dumb to recognize it, so he lies because raising taxes on Americans is unpopular.

      • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        He also knows that if he just repeats things people will believe them, even in spite of evidence they can see, feel and touch.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        I’m not certain what he knows or does not know. In any case, his message to MAGA is clear, Canada will pay, and they’ll believe it.

        • Nusm@piefed.zip
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          9 hours ago

          I mean, he did make Mexico pay for the wall that he built. Right guys? He did, didn’t he? Fox News said that he did, and they wouldn’t lie, right?!?

          • shalafi@lemmy.world
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            4 hours ago

            Nah. Fox News is (usually) more subtle than that. They simply stop talking about fails. And that’s all it takes. Just stop talking about the fail and talk about something else. Why bother lying when you can STFU and get the same or better results?

          • ijedi1234@sh.itjust.works
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            8 hours ago

            Of course he did! Do you not remember? It was in the summer of 2022. President Biden launched a surprise nuclear assault on France. Every major American city was leveled. With NATO in ruins, Mexico built a wall to hold back the tide of refugees above the border. They also sent humanitarian and financial assistance, thanks to a deal masterminded by Trump.

        • Zorque@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          It’s not so much whether or not he knows it, so much as how much he cares. He knows what he says will get his base riled up, and that’s what he likes. It strokes his ego and gives him more power.

      • snooggums@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        That could be true, but he is dumb enough to not understand. Malice or ignorance are always possibilities.