PORTLAND, Maine — US President Trump’s trade war with Canada is escalating as the midterm elections approach, threatening Republican efforts to address voters’ economic concerns in a year when control of the US Senate hinges on states along the border between the US and its northern neighbor. The dispute flared over the weekend after negotiations broke down, leading Trump to raise tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian imports. Canada plans to announce tariffs of its own on Tuesday. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of Democrats’ top targets this year, warned that fallout from Trump’s approach would hurt U.S. businesses and consumers. The issue also puts pressure on Republicans in Michigan, Ohio and Alaska, states where Canada is an important trading partner. …“This is something where we don’t actually expect a huge impact,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters.
Related coverage by:
- Alexander Bolton in The Hill: Collins blasts Trump’s Canada tariffs as a ‘mistake’
- Tiago Ventura in Time: ‘We Don’t Need Canada’: Trump Escalates Trade War
- Megan Cerullo in CBS News: Why Trump’s Canada tariffs are likely to have a modest impact on US prices