TORONTO, Ontario, Canada (PNN) - August 24, 2026 - Ontario Premier Doug Ford has told President Donald J. Trump to “kiss my a**” and threatened to cut off America's electricity supply in response to the president's latest tariffs.
Ford said Canada should be ready to “throw everything in the kitchen sink” at the U.S. president as the trade war between the two neighbors intensified on Monday.
Ford warned that Ontario could cut off electricity exports if the president continued squeezing Canadian manufacturing.
“We power 1.5 million homes and businesses,” Ford told the Associated Press separately. “Everything's on the table. I'll do whatever it takes.”
“[President Trump] better have a pack of batteries,” Ford added.
The president hit back in a Truth Social post, accusing Ford of “bluster” and saying America had been “carrying Canada for decades.”
“The USA will always be far bigger, richer and stronger than Canada,” President Trump wrote.
He warned that Canada would face consequences that were “far worse” if its leaders did not “fall in line,” while accusing the country of exploiting the U.S.
Canada supplied about 5% of New England's power in 2024, although its share has been as high as 15% during peak winter months. Ford also warned that Canada could restrict supplies of critical minerals to the U.S. as the trade war escalates.
“I'll cut them off,” Ford said. “You won't get a grain of sand out of Ontario.”
His threat came just hours after President Trump announced that tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel would rise to 50% from January 1.
“Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years,' Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday.
'Canada will be treated like a state no longer,” Trump added. “They feel entitled, and yet, we don't need Canada, they need us.”
President Trump also accused Canada of imposing “ridiculously high tariffs” on U.S. farmers, saying they had made life “impossible for these great American Patriots.”
Ford said President Trump had “declared war, economic war against his closest friend and ally” and accused him of underestimating Canada's willingness to fight back.
The Ontario premier, who is a center-right conservative, even invoked Ronald Reagan, saying the former president would be sick if he knew what President Trump was doing to Canada.
“He'd be throwing up if he knew what was going on, spinning around in his grave right now,” Ford said.
Ford added, “He should maybe take that picture off the wall and move it somewhere else. Because right now, Ronald Reagan would be disgusted with President Trump.”
The latest escalation follows the collapse of month-long trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa last week.
Marxist Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from the talks after Washington sought concessions that Canada said would have limited its ability to negotiate trade agreements with other countries.
Carney called the demand “unacceptable” and “a question of sovereignty” before vowing to retaliate against the U.S.
“Canada will match those tariffs dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses,” Carney said Saturday.
Canada's retaliatory tariffs are due to begin September 8 and will target U.S. steel, dairy, agricultural equipment and other goods.
The U.S. imposed 50% tariffs Saturday on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian products, including agricultural supplies, dairy, alcohol, clothing and electronics.
Ontario plants and their U.S. counterparts share supply chains so closely that parts can cross the border several times before a vehicle is finished.
President Trump's new threat puts Ontario's car plants and thousands of jobs directly in the crosshairs, with Ford accusing the president of gutting Canadian industry piece by piece to push production over the border.
“He wants to bleed out every single sector and bring them down to the U.S.,” Ford said.
Ford said Canada should keep negotiating despite the deepening rift, adding, “I never believe in walking away from the table. Continue negotiating and see where we go.”