WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his trade dispute with Canada on Monday, issuing a direct ultimatum to Canadian aerospace manufacturer Bombardier: build aircraft on American soil or be barred from selling to U.S. airlines and buyers.
In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump signaled that his administration will no longer allow foreign manufacturers to supply key transportation markets without domestic production facilities. Declaring “that era is over,” the President argued that foreign aerospace companies must contribute directly to the U.S. manufacturing base if they want continued access to lucrative American commercial and business aviation sectors.
“If Bombardier wants to sell its planes to U.S. airlines and American customers, they need to build them right here in the United States,” Trump wrote, accusing the company of using the U.S. market as a “piggybank” while keeping high-skilled manufacturing jobs abroad.
The threat marks a significant escalation in cross-border industrial friction. Montreal-based Bombardier produces high-end business jets, including its flagship Global and Challenger series. Its regional jets (many now operated under capacity-purchase agreements by U.S. regional carriers) form a major component of short-haul routes across North America.
A total ban or steep import tariff on Canadian-built jets could disrupt fleet expansion plans for several U.S. regional carriers and private aviation operators that rely heavily on Bombardier equipment.
The ultimatum coincides with heightened trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa over tariff disputes, industrial subsidies, and broader trade policy. The move echoes previous trade conflicts in the aviation sector, notably the 2017 dispute over Bombardier’s CSeries jetliner, which ultimately led to Airbus taking a controlling stake in the program and assembling the aircraft at a facility in Mobile, Alabama.
Bombardier has yet to issue an official response regarding how it intends to address the threat or whether it will consider expanding its industrial footprint in the United States. Shares of Canadian aerospace firms fluctuated in late trading following the announcement.
