Following his announcement of additional tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, President Donald Trump is drawing even more discussion today on social media for comments he made at the National Federation of Independent Business’ 75th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., to honor America’s small businesses.
After touting his rising approval numbers and discussing immigration laws, Trump suggested that Canadians are illegally moving U.S. goods, particularly footwear, across the border into Canada to avoid tariffs — which the president said were “so high, they have to smuggle them in.”
“They buy shoes, and they wear them. They scuff them up to make them sound old, look old,” Trump remarked, prompting reporters, journalists and other media members to respond on Twitter with their own stances.
The controversial statement comes a couple weeks after the Trump administration hit allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union with taxes on steel and aluminum imports. At the most recent G-7 summit in Quebec, Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau engaged in a highly publicized conflict over trade policy, with the latter planning to impose retaliatory tariffs on $12.8 billion worth of U.S. goods.
Watch on FN
Want more?
Trade War Fears Heat Back Up as Trump Imposes New China Tariffs
Footwear Manufacturers Weigh in on What a NAFTA-Less World Would Look Like
