Will Canada’s border plan stop Trump tariffs? Republicans ‘don’t know’

Republicans and Trump administration officials are claiming victory for securing border security commitments from Canada, but are unsure if they will prevent threatened tariffs.

Canada’s border security plan is being celebrated by members of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s administration and transition team, even as Republicans are unsure if it will prevent threatened tariffs that many Americans appear to not want.

A new poll from Quinnipiac University this week suggests 51 per cent of people in the U.S. oppose Trump’s plan to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico upon taking office next month, and 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods. Just 38 per cent of respondents said they support the plan, which many economists say will raise prices for American consumers.

Trump explicitly tied his threat of tariffs to calls for Canada and Mexico to boost security at their respective borders to stop irregular migration and drug smuggling into the U.S.

On Tuesday, Canadian officials announced a $1.3-billion border security plan that seeks to address those issues and others like sex trafficking.

Two social media accounts for Trump’s presidential campaign and transition team have since called Canada’s plan proof that Trump was securing “wins” before he takes office.

“With one statement and one meeting, President-Elect Trump has done more to secure our Northern Border than Joe Biden has in four years,” Karoline Leavitt, the incoming White House press secretary who was Trump’s campaign spokesperson, posted on X. “Incredible.”

On Wednesday, Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, a top Trump ally in Congress who co-chairs the Congressional Border Security Caucus, also painted the Canadian announcement as a victory for Trump.

“That’s what happens when you have a strong leader come in and lay down markers,” he told reporters during a press conference with caucus members.