US President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to halt all trade with the European Union if Brussels moves closer to Canada, calling the idea “ridiculous”.
Trump made the remarks at Charlotte airport in North Carolina, where he was due to attend a campaign event for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley.
He was responding to comments by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who earlier on Wednesday had offered Canada the possibility of becoming an “associate member” of the EU.
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“I think it’s ridiculous,” Trump told reporters gathered at the airport.
“If they do that, if I regard it as a hostile act, then I will impose very heavy tariffs or break off all trade with Europe,” he said.
