The EU Invites Canada to Become Its First "Associate Member," and Trump Calls It "Laughable" — Warning That If It Is "at All a Hostile Act, I Will Put Very Serious Tariffs or Stop Trading With Europe on Many Things," as Susan Collins Says Canada's Turn to Europe "Doesn't Help Rebuild the Good Relationship That We Once Had"
On Sept. 16, 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seated as her special guest, to propose "opening the door for Canada to being the first associate member of the European Union," along with a new partnership covering technology, critical raw materials, energy and defense. "Associate membership" does not exist under the EU treaties, and any such status would have to be created and ratified by member states. Speaking to reporters in North Carolina that evening, President Trump called the idea "laughable," said "Canada has been a terrible trade partner," and threatened "very heavy tariffs on Europe" — or to "stop trading with Europe on many things" — if he concluded the offer was made with "bad intention." The threat came as the U.S.-Canada trade war continues to escalate and would complicate the earlier U.S.-EU arrangement capping most tariffs on European goods at 15%. On Capitol Hill the same day, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told CBC News that Canada's tilt toward Europe would make a U.S. trade deal harder, while also saying she does not support the tariff war.
“I think it's laughable. … If they do that, if I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things.”