Doug Ford tells CNN Ontario will still retaliate to Trump’s tariff ‘mess’ despite pause

Donald Trump is set to announce on Thursday a one-month pause on some of the tariffs he has imposed on Canada, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford remains steadfast that the province will fight on despite the pause.

Ford, who has been making the rounds on U.S. network news since tariffs were first announced in February, appeared again on CNN on Thursday to discuss the temporary pause.

A clip of the interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer was shared by Ford on X, where the premier described the situation as a “mess” and urged Trump to “get to the table to land a deal that creates jobs and grows our economies on both sides of the border.” 

Ford’s post stressed that until such a deal is reached, “we won’t relent.”

Here is the full transcript of Doug Ford’s Thursday appearance on CNN:

“I start every interview with saying, I love the Americans. I love the U.S., but what a mess President Trump has created here. The only thing certain in these 30 days is uncertainty. We’ve seen investments stall in the U.S. They’ve seen jobs… people are going to lose their jobs, and inflation is happening. Everything is going to go up, and assembly lines will shut down if he continues.”

“I have an idea: Let’s just drop these tariffs. Let’s sit down and renegotiate the you have some ca deal that he created. It hasn’t changed since he was in office, and he said it was the greatest deal ever.”

“So let’s move forward, and let’s bring certainty back. Let’s keep the assembly lines going in the U.S., and let’s start moving forward, and the two strongest countries in the world will build the U.S. economy, the likes of which the U.S. has never seen before — but we have to drop these tariffs.”

Blitzer questioned Ford on his threats to cut off power to the U.S. if tariffs aren’t cancelled.

Ford explained, “Isn’t it a shame that we have to put a tariff on the electricity? You know, I think the world of all three governors in New York and Michigan and Minnesota. I just talked to Governor [Tim] Walz, who is an incredible individual. I don’t want to do this. I want to send more electricity, but he’s basically… President Trump….”

“It’s not the American people. It’s not even the Republicans or Democrats, because I talked that both of them, Republicans totally disagree with it, but God forbid they ever go out publicly and say it. Let’s just put an end to this, and let’s start building our economy.”

“But as of this Monday, we’re putting a tariff, 25 per cent tariff on the electricity to the 1.5 million homes and businesses in those three states. And honestly, it really bothers me. We have to do this. I don’t want to do this. I want to send more electricity, more critical minerals, more oil. That’s what we want to do.”

Blitzer then asked Ford about Trump’s repeated threats to annex Canada as a 51st U.S. state. Ford answered (in a manner of speaking) by stressing the longstanding alliance between the two countries.

“Well, the closest friends, closest allies in the world for over 200 years the rest of the world are watching us. You know, as China is bringing in cheap parts, undermining American workers and Canadian workers, that’s the issue, not not your closest ally and friends, your number one customer in the world.”

“And hopefully, we can amend this relationship, and I can tell you all Canadians love Americans. It’s one person, and that’s President Trump, that’s creating mass chaos right across North American and honestly, around the world right now, over what?”

“I know what it’s about. It’s about his $4.5 trillion dollar tax cut that he can’t afford right now, and he wants to pick those costs up off other other countries. I take the total opposite approach Wolf, let’s build the economy. Let’s create more revenues. That’s what we’ve done. I’ve never raised the tax in my life, there’s no reason to.”

When asked if he had any closing comments, Ford asked Americans to “stop the chaos, the uncertainty.”

“Assembly plants shutting down, jobs being lost on both sides of the border, but the American people, the pension funds that they’ve worked their whole lives for, they’re being hurt. You know, the market the other day dropped $3 trillion and it bounced a little back, and it’s like a rollercoaster right now.”

“And as you know, because you’re super smart guy, that the worst thing the market hates is uncertainty. Everyone hates uncertainty. Investment hates uncertainty. So let’s get down to the table.”

“Let’s start talking about the USMCA deal, and let’s resolve this once and for all, that gives certainty to the people the United States and Canada, the greatest countries in the world. I call it the Am-Can fortress. Let’s build that Am-Can fortress.”