Trump lashes out at Canada over trade

President Trump on Tuesday lashed out again at close ally Canada, injecting more uncertainty into the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Trump accused Canadians of crossing the border with the U.S. to buy products and “smuggle” them back into their country because their tariffs are so high.

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“They buy shoes and they wear them. They scuff them up to make them sound old, or look old,” Trump told the National Federation of Independent Businesses during a summit in Washington. 

“No, we’re treated horribly,” he said. 

The president, who called NAFTA “one of the worst deals ever made by this country, a disaster,” said again he may pursue separate deals with Mexico and Canada instead of sticking with the three-nation deal. 

“We’ll see whether or not we can make a reasonable NAFTA deal,” Trump said. 

He has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the 25-year-old deal.

The president vowed to take care of farmers and manufacturers who have grown increasingly concerned about the tit-for-tat tariff battle happening between the U.S. and China along with many allies, which threatens to hamper their exports. 

“We have to change our ways, we can no longer be the stupid country, we have to be the smart country,” Trump said. 

Trump recently escalated his feud with Canada, blasting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the recent Group of Seven meeting in Quebec, calling him “very dishonest & weak.”

Trudeau has promised to retaliate against steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. has put on Canada’s metals industries. 

“Canada’s not going to take advantage of the United States any longer,” Trump said.