Trump Admits Canadian Aluminum Is US Necessity – Hours After ‘WE DON’T NEED CANADA’ Outburst

Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP

President Donald Trump admitted that the United States “desperately needs” aluminum from Canada on Monday, just hours after declaring “WE DON’T NEED CANADA” while threatening another escalation in his trade war with America’s northern neighbor.

Trump made the admission during a telephone rally for Mike Mazzei, a Republican candidate for Oklahoma governor, Bloomberg reported, as he pushed for approval of a proposed aluminum plant in the state.

“This country desperately needs aluminum,” Trump said. “Selfishly, we need aluminum in this country. We don’t have it. We get it all from Canada for the most part, and we need it badly.”

The president later returned to the issue on Truth Social, promoting what he called a “desperately needed” aluminum plant in Inola, Oklahoma, while endorsing Mazzei.

“You can’t get Aluminum in the United States, and this Plant will go elsewhere if it’s not approved,” Trump wrote.

The remarks, however, came just hours after Trump struck a sharply different tone toward Canada as he threatened sweeping new 50% tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel beginning on January 1, 2027.

“On Trade, and in other ways, also, they are among the worst Nations in the World to deal with. They feel entitled, and yet, WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US! They do 95% of their business with the U.S., with us, the exact opposite,” Trump wrote.

(Screengrab via Truth Social)

Canada is a crucial source of aluminum for U.S. manufacturers across dozens of industries, with the country producing more than half of the aluminum consumed by American businesses each year.

Trump had already imposed 50% tariffs on metals as part of his widening trade war with Ottawa.

The two countries were reportedly close last week to an agreement that would have cut the aluminum levy in half, which fell through. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney insisted his government had “worked intensively and in good faith” toward reaching a new trade agreement with Washington, but accused U.S. negotiators of seeking to “ask too much and offer too little.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!