Trump made the remarks after landing in North Carolina on Wednesday, saying, “If I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things.”
The threat followed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backing the proposal in Strasbourg, France, where she told the European Parliament she wanted to “opening the door” for Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union speech and was due to address the Parliament on Thursday, as trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. continued after talks collapsed last month.
Von der Leyen framed the EU-Canada push as a broader partnership beyond their existing trade deal, telling the European Parliament, “Europe and Canada believe in democracy.”
The Reuters explainer said there is currently no such status as “associate member” set out in the European Union’s treaties, and it noted that any arrangement would require EU member states to decide and would need ratification by all domestically.
Reuters also described what the relationship might involve, including joint work on manufacturing, a tech alliance, integration of defence industrial bases, the Arctic, AI, energy and critical minerals.
In parallel, the BBC reported that when asked about the plan, Trump called it “laughable” and said, “If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe, on many things.”
CNBC said any fresh U.S. tariffs on the EU would test the trade framework Washington and Brussels struck last year, which set a 15% tariff ceiling on most EU exports to the U.S.
The BBC added that “associate membership” does not currently exist and the process, if agreed, could take years, while noting that ten of the bloc’s 27 members are yet to ratify a free-trade agreement struck with Ottawa nearly a decade ago.
Meanwhile, the EU chief and Carney were already positioning the relationship as a strategic alternative to tense U.S.-Canada ties, with the BBC reporting that Carney was in attendance in Strasbourg and due to address the parliament on Thursday.