New tariffs on Canada heighten Michigan Democrats’ affordability attacks on Trump, GOP

Michigan Democrats are taking aim at a new round of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on Canada as talks between the two nations failed, with Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel saying the tariffs will “throw Michigan’s economy into chaos.”

“Donald Trump has once again escalated his reckless trade war with Canada, allowing trade talks to collapse while imposing sweeping 50% tariffs on Michigan’s largest trading partner,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), the running mate for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, said in a press conference on Wednesday. “These tariffs will have real consequences for people across Michigan. They will drive up costs at a time when families are already struggling with the costs of groceries, gas, and housing, and they will put even more pressure on Michigan’s manufacturers and small businesses that depend on strong trade with Canada.”

This week, Trump said that the United States would impose 50% tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods — about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors, the Associated Press reports. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would retaliate beginning on Sept. 8, according to the AP, with measures affecting the steel, dairy, appliance and agricultural equipment sectors. 

“These reckless tariffs on Canada threaten to spike costs even higher and will kill more jobs and wreak even greater havoc on our manufacturing industry,” Hertel said. 

Similarly, Christina Hines, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, emphasized her district’s proximity to Ontario and border crossings in the Detroit and Sarnia areas and the importance of strong business relationships with Canada. 

“When politicians make decisions that hurt these industries, it literally impacts our ability to put food on the table, to buy back-to-school supplies to cover our medical bills, and yeah, to pay for gas,” Hines said. “We have already been seeing the fallout from these tariffs on Michigan families, on workers, and on businesses. Prices are up, profit sharing is down, and the auto industry is facing record losses. Our small businesses are fighting just to stay open.”

Criticism coming from Michigan Democrats goes beyond Trump himself, as Democratic candidates around the state are using the tariffs to attack their counterparts for supporting the policies of the head of their party. 

“Donald Trump is launching this trade war for his own vanity, and he’s asking Michigan families to pay the price. Michiganders were already paying over $3,200 a year for tariffs—over 50% more than the rest of the country because we share a border with Canada—and we have a president who cares more about his ego and saber-rattling than addressing the affordability crisis,” U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said in a press release. “Trump has been failing Michigan through these chaotic tariffs and bad trade deals for far too long. Mike Rogers won’t do anything but rubber stamp them.”

El-Sayed’s U.S. Senate opponent, Mike Rogers, has stood by the Trump administration’s policies, including on tariffs, throughout his campaign, and has not commented to multiple reporters on the most recent round of tariffs. A spokesperson for Rogers’ campaign didn’t provide a direct comment on the new tariffs, but instead pointed the Advance to previous statements made by the former congressman on Michigan manufacturing and prescription drug prices.

Brinks similarly sought to implicate U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township), the Republican nominee for governor, citing his past votes in Congress supporting other tariffs proposed by Trump.

“John James has enthusiastically supported Trump’s trade war. In February, James voted in favor of tariffs on Canada,” Brinks said. “He had a chance to stand up for Michigan families, workers, and business, but instead he chose to support Trump’s tariff agenda. And now, as these new 50% tariffs take effect, John James has not said a single word, and that silence matters.”

In response to Democrats’ criticism of the tariffs, James campaign spokesperson Alyvia Bailey said affordability concerns should be more tied to Democratic leadership at the state-level rather than the Trump administration. 

“Michigan ranks 46th in the nation overall — 45 states are doing better than we are on education, on the economy, on infrastructure and we all have the same President. We have lost over 20,000 manufacturing jobs. Energy costs are crushing families and small businesses across this state,” Bailey said. “This is the result of eight years of failed Democrat leadership that Michiganders simply cannot afford anymore.”

Tariffs were also a sticking point in the July opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, with the threat of tariffs leading Canadian officials to cancel a joint ceremony between the two countries and host one of their own in Windsor, without any American government officials present.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford emphasized in his speech at that event the importance of a cooperative relationship between Canada and the United States — and explicitly said that Trump has challenged that relationship through his overall foreign policy, including tariffs.  

“Team Canada has never been more united,” Ford said. “Ontario will be ready to respond to any new American tariffs, will not back down, and will negotiate from a position of strength as a top trading partner.”

Meanwhile, Trump has defended his decision to levy the tariffs — while also suggesting renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in the wake of crumbling trade negotiations between the two nations.