Trump Threatens to Ban Bombardier Sales in U.S. Unless It Builds Planes Domestically

In an all-caps post on Truth Social, Trump declared, "NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!" He criticized the company's products as "not good enough" and accused Canada of unfairly benefiting from American consumers while blocking U.S. businesses, specifically citing American banks and Gulfstream Aerospace, from operating in Canada .

"Over 50% of their revenue comes from the United States — They live off American Buyers, American Companies, American Airports, and American Service," Trump wrote. "If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a 'piggybank'" .

Escalating Trade Tensions

The threat comes just one day before Canada is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods following the collapse of bilateral trade negotiations last month . In late August, the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian products, prompting Ottawa to announce dollar-for-dollar countermeasures .

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to proceed with retaliatory tariffs effective Tuesday, targeting sectors including steel, aluminum, and dairy .

Bombardier's U.S. Footprint

While the company is headquartered in Montreal, Bombardier already has a substantial presence in the United States, employing approximately 3,500 people and working with roughly 2,800 U.S. suppliers . About half of the 5,100 aircraft operated by Bombardier customers are located in the U.S. .

The company's defense division operates a factory in Kansas, and it manufactures wings for its Global 8000 business jet in Texas . The White House has not specified how it would enforce the proposed sales ban or whether it could prevent deliveries of already-approved aircraft .

Not the First Threat

This marks the second time this year Trump has targeted Bombardier. In January, he threatened to decertify Bombardier's Global Express jets and impose 50% tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft unless Canada certified several Gulfstream business jets. Neither action materialized at the time, though Canada subsequently certified several Gulfstream planes .

The administration's move aligns with Trump's broader "America First" trade agenda, which has included executive orders strengthening "Made in America" laws and cracking down on false domestic-origin claims by foreign manufacturers .

Bombardier did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and aerospace analysts have questioned whether the president can legally prevent Bombardier from selling in the U.S., given that the company's aircraft are covered by the USMCA trade pact and rely heavily on American-made components .