Washington: US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Canadian businesses are rapidly relocating to the US as trade hostilities between the two neighboring nations intensify. 'Canadian businesses are pouring into the United States. We want to make our own cars, etc. That's what's going to happen,' Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. He asserted that Canada has been 'ripping us off for years' and vowed that the current economic relationship would be fundamentally altered.

According to Anadolu Agency, it is not known exactly which Canadian firms have initiated relocation plans or how much capital is moving across the border. In separate posts later, Trump issued a direct appeal to firms currently operating in the neighboring country, claiming many of them moved from the US because of 'stupid' US leadership. 'Let all Canadian companies that are doing business with America move to the United States, immediately,' he wrote, promising that there are 'no tariffs' for those who relocate.

He described Canada as 'one of the worst abusers' of the US and stated that he no longer wants Canadian vehicles or components in the US market. 'They want to be treated like a state, but they aren't one,' Trump added, asserting that he finds Canadian leadership to be the most difficult to deal with globally. He compared the necessity of trade measures against Ottawa to his military strategy against Iran, noting that both should have been addressed by previous administrations years ago.

The US president's remarks follow the imposition of 50% US tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods on Aug. 22 and his recent directive to impose a 50% tariff on all Canadian cars, trucks, and steel starting Jan. 1, 2027. Trump maintains that these measures are necessary to address a trade deficit exceeding $60 billion. He has repeatedly urged manufacturers to move their operations to American soil to secure 'zero tariffs.'

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected the US approach, labeling the new levies a "miscalculation" and an attempt to "hurt and divide" Canada. Carney said the country is "at war" over trade and announced plans to implement reciprocal tariffs on $20 billion worth of US imports beginning Sept. 8.