US President Donald Trump on Wednesday responded to the European Union’s plans to add Canada as an associate member with threats and ridicule.
During her annual speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was opening the door for Canada to become its first associate member.
Such a relationship to the bloc does not currently exist and would have to be created from scratch.
In comments to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said the idea could become a “hostile act.” He threatened to impose sanctions on the EU in response.
“If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” Trump told reporters en route to an event in North Carolina.
The US president also described the prospect of Canada joining the EU as “laughable.”
The potential Canadian EU associate membership comes as Trump, during his second term in office, has shaken Washington’s relationship with its northern neighbor to the core.
Canada was among the first victims of Trump’s tariff policy.
Tensions escalated between Ottawa and Washington after trade talks broke down last month, with Trump imposing further sanctions on Canada and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowing to respond in kind.
Washington’s transatlantic ties have also suffered under Trump, most notably after the US president’s push to take control of the Arctic island of Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The EU was also hit by Trump’s wide tariffs, as were most countries worldwide, but the two sides reached a trade agreement to bring them down.