Trump administration to ban some Canadian motorcycles, dairy, alcoholic beverages in trade war’s latest escalation

The Trump administration moved Tuesday to ban imports of Canadian motorcycles, some dairy products and most types of alcohol starting later this month, intensifying the trade war between the two countries.

The bans were announced less than 24 hours after Canada imposed steep tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods — a measure that was issued after the U.S. slapped tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods. The Trump administration has accused Canada of unfair trade practices, but Canadian officials have accused the U.S. of making unreasonable demands.

Senior administration officials told reporters Tuesday night there will be an outright ban on a majority of Canadian alcohol coming into the U.S. starting at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 29. Bans on Canadian motorcycles, whey, molasses and nonalcoholic beer are set to take effect on the same day, according to a set of proclamations signed by President Trump.

The administration will also slap an additional 50% tariff on cheese products, steel, aluminum and bamboo furniture from Canada starting next Tuesday. Some existing tariffs on toilet paper, cement and fishing rod parts were terminated after more government research on the tariff impact, according to a senior administration official. 

In Tuesday’s trade actions, the White House alleged Canadian officials “ceased negotiating in good faith” and “did not remove” trade barriers during last-minute negotiations to avert a set of tariffs threatened by Mr. Trump last month. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his administration have vowed to match the U.S.’s tariffs “dollar for dollar,” and many Canadian provinces have maintained boycotts of American alcohol that began last month.

Despite the deepening economic fallout between the two close trading partners and allies, the White House insists that conversations with Canadian trade leadership are ongoing and there remains hope for an off-ramp. 

A senior administration official said Canada has expressed interest in finding an “alternative pathway” and the U.S. remains open to negotiation. 

Still, Mr. Trump is not backing down from a 50% tariff on all Canadian automotive imports, trucks, auto parts, and steel, effective Jan. 1, 2027, if a deal is not reached, according to administration officials. 

The president said Tuesday he would ban Canadian-made products from federal government contracts unless the Canadian government opens up to U.S. imports. He also threatened to ban the sale of Bombardier, a Canadian airplane maker, in a post Monday on his social media platform Truth Social. 

“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough!” Mr. Trump wrote, adding they must build in the United States. 

Bombardier says the company employs thousands of Americans across nine major facilities. Republican Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran of Kansas publicly defended the Montreal-based company, saying it creates thousands of jobs in their state. 

“I’m going to fight to keep Bombardier’s over 1,200 Kansas jobs. I’ve already taken that concern inside the Oval Office,” Marshall wrote on X.