'Associate membership' for Canada is 'not against anyone', Brussels tells Trump

President Donald Trump reacted sharply to the European Union's proposal to make Canada its first associate member, warning of potential tariffs on European nations. The US leader, speaking at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, called Canada a "terrible trade partner" and suggested he might halt trade with Europe if he viewed the move as a hostile act.

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada during her State of the Union address at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. She described the partnership as an "alliance for the future," aiming to foster prosperity and security in areas like manufacturing, technology, industrial defense, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals, batteries, AI, quantum cyber, and economic security.

Von der Leyen emphasized the collaboration was not against any nation but for collective strength, urging a reimagining of partnerships. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by exchanging a traditional la bise greeting with von der Leyen. The announcement garnered a standing ovation from European lawmakers, amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Washington and Ottawa over new trade levies and countermeasures. Carney is scheduled to address the European Parliament on Thursday.