Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threat to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the United States has sparked a response from President Donald Trump, who is accusing both Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney of “bad leadership.”
Trump warned about cutting off pipelines and electrical lines carrying energy to Canada in the face of Ford’s threat.
Ford told The Associated Press that “everything is on the table” after Carney walked away from trade talks with the White House on Aug. 21, saying Washington’s proposed deal infringed on Canadian sovereignty.
“I’ll cut them off,” Ford said during the interview published on Aug. 24, while discussing critical minerals. “You won’t get a grain of sand out of Ontario.”
He later told a Toronto radio station that Trump could “kiss my ***” after the president accused Canada in a Truth Social post of “ripping off the United States of America for years” and threatening 50 percent tariffs on Canadian autos starting in 2027.
Ford doubled down on the comment during a press conference in Hamilton later that afternoon, adding that that Carney has not asked him to dial back such comments.
He also talked about his threat to turn off the electricity to Ontario’s American customers. He said the province would start off with a surcharge for its electricity to U.S. states like New York, Michigan, and Minnesota, and it could “escalate” from there if the trade war continues.
He added that his suggestion to cut off critical minerals is still “on the table.”
Trump also had a few choice words for Ford and Carney in an Aug. 24 Truth Social post.
He described Ford as the “less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford.” Rob Ford was a former mayor of Toronto. He passed away in 2016 due to cancer.
“Their businesses are fleeing for the United States, and it’s all because of their failed policies, and inept leadership!” Trump wrote.
“Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive — It’s where they get all of their money and, because of their current bad leadership, primarily Governor Carney, and his Flunky, Ford, they will not be allowed to keep taking advantage of the United States.”
Trump went on to say that large portions of the electricity, oil, and gas that Canada receives is transported through the United States and that someone should “get these clowns to ‘fall in line’ or, the consequences for Canada will be far WORSE!”
When asked about Trump’s comments, Ford said he doesn’t “respond to a dictator like President Trump.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on July 21, 2026. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Escalation
The war of words comes after trade talks between Canada and the United States collapsed on Aug. 21, when Carney called his negotiators back to Canada.
The breakdown in talks means Trump’s new 50 percent U.S. tariffs on a range of Canadian products including dairy and alcohol are now in force. Canada has said it will respond with its own counter-tariffs starting on Sept. 8.
Both countries have since traded blame over last-minute demands.
Carney was asked at an Aug. 24 press conference whether he’d be open to cutting off electricity and critical minerals supply to Washington. Carney said he wants to begin with “positive initiatives,” and will see if “we need to do more.”
“We’re staying calm, we’ll stay positive,” he said. “We will cooperate in order to build real jobs and real careers.”
Carney added that the American economy is much larger than the Canadian economy, making it difficult to carry out a “dollar-for-dollar” counter-tariff strategy. He said Canada’s tariffs will be more targeted.
Electricity Surcharge
Ford told reporters on Aug. 22 that Canada “never started this fight,” but that Ontario will “use every single tool we have” to help Canada come out on top.
The premier has made similar threats in the past. Ford’s government put a 25 percent tax on electricity supplied to New York, Michigan, and Minnesota in 2025, in response to U.S. tariffs.
The export tax on the energy Ontario sends to the three states went into force last March, and was set to net the province an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 per day, Ford told reporters during the March 10, 2025 press conference in Toronto, noting that the tariff would add roughly $100 per month to Americans’ power bills.
In response, Trump threatened to double steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada from 25 percent to 50 percent. Ford agreed shortly after to suspend Ontario’s electricity surcharge after being promised a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
The Trump administration responded by retracting the proposed 50 percent increase to maintain the baseline metal tariffs at 25 percent, but that lasted only a few months. The White House ultimately raised it to 50 percent last June, a hike that Trump said would “even further secure the steel industry in the United States.”
Ontario’s anti-tariff ads in the United States in 2025 also became a point of contention with Trump, who abruptly ended trade talks with Canada over the ads.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
