Trump threatens to block Bombardier jet sales in the US
US President Donald Trump has warned Canadian planemaker Bombardier it will no longer be allowed to sell aircraft in the US unless it relocates manufacturing there, amid a deepening trade dispute between the two countries.
President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier will be barred from selling its planes in the United States unless the company shifts its production onto American soil. He said Bombardier must build in the US to keep access to the American market, accusing the company of treating the country like a "piggybank."
The warning came just hours before Canada's retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20bn worth of US goods were due to take effect. How Trump intends to actually prevent Bombardier from operating in the US market remains unclear.
The Montreal-based company already runs a factory in Kansas that produces specialized military mission aircraft and employs 3,500 American workers. It also maintains operations in Texas, Arizona, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, California, Washington DC and New Jersey. Roughly half of Bombardier's global fleet of 5,100 aircraft is flown by US-based customers.
Bombardier's official response did not directly address Trump's threat, instead emphasizing that its American operations support tens of thousands of US jobs and that the company intends to keep investing in its workforce, customers and communities nationwide. According to the company, its jets are manufactured across facilities in Canada, the US and Mexico, in compliance with the North American trade agreement Trump himself signed during his first term.
Bombardier ranks among Canada's largest companies, having added an estimated C$7.4bn to national GDP in 2024, and is a major employer in Quebec's manufacturing sector. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette called the company a source of provincial pride and a pillar of the economy, saying she has offered Bombardier's leadership her government's full backing. She said Quebec would not let outside pressure dictate where its companies must manufacture to access foreign markets.
Tensions between Washington and Ottawa have escalated since trade negotiations collapsed at the end of last month, when Canada walked away from talks and the US responded with new 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has accused the US administration of pushing unfair and uneconomic terms, a characterization US officials dispute.
