Washington DC - President Donald Trump slammed Canada's leadership as "very bad" and said they are "being taught a little lesson" by his administration's trade policy.
"We were so stupidly run," Trump declared during a press conference at the White House on Thursday, referencing the Biden administration.
"They other countries to make our cars and sell them to us – they came from Japan, they came from South Korea, they came from Mexico, they came from Canada," he continued, before swiftly veering off course.
"Canada has taken advantage of us for so many years – the worst of any country," he continued. "I love the Canadian people, but their leaders have taken advantage of our stupid leadership for many, many years."
"They felt emboldened… They act like they're totally innocent. They're not. They were very bad. But now they're being taught a little lesson."
His comments came as he was meant to be celebrating an event marking Hispanic Heritage Month in the US. Instead, he went on a multiple-minutes long rant that zeroed in on the Canadian auto manufacturing industry.
The ongoing dispute over autos has had a significant impact on the Canadian car industry, particularly in the state of Ontario, which hosts a number of significant manufacturing hubs.
Things have only worsened since Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from a trade deal with the US which he deemed to be "unfair" and "uneconomic" in August, triggering a wave of tariffs from the US that has transformed into a tit-for-tat trade war.
This week, Trump's ban on Canadian alcohol products came into effect, blocking the import of an array of beverages including beer, sparkling wine, brandy, sake, and other liquors. He justified the ban as a response to "discriminatory" boycotts of US products in Canada.