Doug Ford Threatens American Workers As He Pledges Economic Pain In Tariff Spat

Ontario Premier Doug Ford made headlines this week for threatening to punish American citizens in response to President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on foreign-made automobiles. Instead of addressing the illegal drugs and migrants pouring into the U.S. from the north, Ford lashed out at the American people — not Trump — in a desperate bid to avoid responsibility.

“We’re going to make sure that we inflict as much pain as possible to the American people without inflicting pain on the Canadian population,” Ford said during remarks at Queen’s Park. The comment, aimed at a country with ten times Canada’s economic power, came off more like a tantrum than a strategy.

Holy Shit! Doug Ford just said it's his goal to inflict as much pain as possible on the American people.

This is absolutely insane. pic.twitter.com/lvcTF6BLFw

— govt.exe is corrupt (@govt_corrupt) March 27, 2025

Ford’s threats followed President Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on all non-U.S.-made vehicles. The policy, set to begin April 3, is part of a broader plan to restore fairness to a trade relationship that has long favored Canada. Ford admitted the tariffs were unexpected, but rather than attempt cooperation, he doubled down with retaliatory talk.

Incredibly, the premier claimed he “felt terrible” for Americans, only to then blame President Trump for the entire situation while declaring that hurting the U.S. would be his top priority. “We have to run through every tariff and minimize the pain for Canadians, maximize the pain for Americans,” Ford said.

The premier even said he would work with Canada’s prime minister and top auto executives to target U.S. car exports in a federal response, suggesting a full-blown trade fight with America’s far stronger economy. “We buy as many cars off the U.S. as we sell down there,” Ford said, ignoring the reality of who has more to lose.

Ford also floated the idea of slapping tariffs on electricity but said he’d wait until April 2 to decide. “I do not want to hurt other provinces on that,” he added.

Ford is expected to meet with other Canadian premiers and CEOs early next week as he pushes for a so-called “Team Canada” response that appears more focused on scoring political points than solving real problems.