Trump's 100% Tariff Threat Could Backfire on American Wallets

$2.7 billion worth of goods cross the US-Canada border daily. That number just became critically important after Donald Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian products this past Saturday.

The trigger was Mark Carney's speech at Davos, where Canada's Prime Minister argued it's time to "diversify away from U.S. economic dominance." He didn't mince words: "You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration becomes the source of your subordination." Carney accused the US of weaponizing economic integration, using "tariffs as leverage" and "supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited."

Trump's response was swift and blunt: "If Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a 'Drop Off Port' for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken." He promised immediate 100% tariffs on all Canadian goods if Canada strikes a deal with China.

When Tariffs Become Boomerangs

Here's the catch: if Trump follows through, Americans will likely bear the brunt of the economic pain. Unlike tariffs on finished luxury goods that might affect whether someone buys a foreign car, tariffs on raw materials ripple through entire supply chains, raising costs at every stage.

Start with energy. Canada supplies 60% of US crude oil imports and 80-85% of electricity imports. Energy tariffs would hit Americans immediately and directly. Gas prices would spike nationwide. Heating bills would jump, particularly crushing northern and midwestern states that depend heavily on Canadian energy resources.

Construction costs would soar next. Canada is America's largest foreign supplier of lumber, steel, and aluminum. Doubling lumber prices means higher costs for new homes, repairs, and renovations—any project involving wood. Steel and aluminum tariffs would flow through to everything from cars to appliances, exploding manufacturing input costs across multiple industries.

Grocery bills would climb too. Canadian wheat, canola oil, pork, beef, and seafood fill American supermarkets. That Canadian wheat becomes ingredients in countless packaged foods—crackers, cakes, pasta, cereal. When agricultural product costs double at the border, those increases get passed directly to American consumers at checkout.

The Retaliation Risk

The pain wouldn't stop there. If Canada retaliates—and threatened trading partners typically do—millions of American farmers, manufacturers, and service providers could lose access to their largest foreign market. More than half of US states count Canada as their biggest trading partner.

Integrated supply chains mean parts and materials often cross borders multiple times during production. Each border crossing could compound the tariff impact, depending on how tariffs are applied. Even the threat alone may raise prices as businesses model future costs and plan for different scenarios.

Markets Sound the Alarm

Financial markets are already repricing risk. Gold crossed $5,000 an ounce for the first time ever on Sunday and continued climbing Monday. Robin Brooks at the Brookings Institution calls this a "breathtaking and profoundly scary" rally driven partly by fears of a global debt crisis.

Silver has hit new records too, extending an even more dramatic rally than gold. Meanwhile, the US dollar has dropped to a four-month low as traders engage in what they call the "debasement trade"—betting against currencies amid global economic uncertainty.

The Irony of Economic Warfare

Trump's threat validates Carney's exact argument about American economic coercion. Coming just days after the Canadian PM explained why "middle powers" need to reduce dependence on an increasingly unreliable United States, Trump threatened precisely the policy that would prove Carney's thesis correct.

Whether Trump carries out the threat remains unclear. But the economics are stark: 100% tariffs on raw materials from America's largest trading partner would likely trigger a massive cost-of-living shock for American families.