Trump Threatens to Ban Bombardier Sales in U.S. Unless Canadian Planemaker Builds There

President Donald Trump said Monday, September 7, that Bombardier, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer, will no longer be allowed to sell planes in the United States unless it starts building them here.

"NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren't good enough!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to CBC News. "If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a 'piggybank.'"

Trump claimed more than half of Bombardier's revenue comes from American buyers while "Canada blocks our GREAT American Banks, and Companies," per the Jerusalem Post. He closed the post with a string of demands: "BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA. AMERICA FIRST!"

The Timing

The post landed hours before Canada's counter-tariffs on U.S. goods took effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 8. CityNews Calgary reported the Canadian measures cover $27.6 billion worth of American products, while CNBC and Breitbart cited the original round announced August 25 as roughly $20 billion across more than 700 items. The new duties, ranging from 15 to 50 percent, hit steel, aluminum, motorcycles, cosmetics and cheese, according to Times Now.

Quebec's Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Christine Fréchette, responded directly, telling reporters she reached out to Bombardier CEO Éric Martel to offer support. "Bombardier is a source of pride for Quebec, a flagship of our economy," she said, according to CityNews. "We will defend our companies, our workers, and our expertise with resolve."

The Enforcement Question

Breitbart reported Trump did not specify how he would achieve a sales halt. The Federal Aviation Administration, not the White House, is the agency that certifies or decertifies aircraft for U.S. use. Bombardier models remain FAA-certified and the company is currently exempt from U.S. tariffs, per Breitbart's reporting.

This isn't Trump's first swing at Bombardier. In January, he threatened to decertify the company's Global Express business jets and slap 50 percent tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft after accusing Canada of stalling certification for U.S. rival Gulfstream Aerospace's new jet models. Trump later said Canada moved quickly to certify the Gulfstream planes because of his pressure, according to Breitbart.

CBC News reported Bombardier already operates a U.S. defense-division factory in Kansas that prepares planes for special-mission use, and about half of the roughly 5,100 aircraft in Bombardier's customer fleet are based in the U.S. CityNews added the company has facilities in nearly a dozen states, including Florida, Texas, New Jersey and Michigan. Whether any of that satisfies Trump's demand to "build here" is unclear, since he did not define what would count.

The Broader Trade Fight

The Bombardier threat is one piece of a broader collapse in U.S.-Canada trade talks. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox News's "Special Report" that Washington offered Canada "the best deal in the world" on steel, aluminum, autos and lumber, only for Canadian officials to return from Ottawa "wanting more" tariff relief. "They wanted it to be even better," Greer said. "These are things we couldn't accommodate."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has offered a different account, saying he suspended talks on August 21 because U.S. negotiators introduced last-minute restrictions on Canadian trade deals with other countries and made what he called unacceptable threats to the French language and Quebec culture. Carney has said Canada remains open to resuming negotiations "when the Americans are ready," per Times Now.

Both sides blame the other for the breakdown, and neither account has been independently verified beyond the two governments' own statements. The dispute has already produced tangible moves beyond tariffs: Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" on August 27, and the Jerusalem Post reported Apple Maps updated the label for U.S. users days later.

Trump has also floated raising auto tariffs to 50 percent starting January 1, 2027, though Times Now noted that measure hasn't been formally implemented. With Canada's counter-tariffs now in effect and no talks scheduled, the open question is whether Washington answers with the kind of concrete action against Bombardier that would require the FAA's involvement, or whether Monday's post remains, like January's threat, a warning that goes unenforced.