US President Donald Trump threatened to block Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier from selling its jets in the United States unless it moves more production south of the border.
“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank’.”
Truth Social post from President Donald Trump
It is still unclear exactly how the Trump administration would prevent Bombardier from selling aircraft in the US. The company’s jets are already approved by US aviation regulators, while Bombardier operates across a deeply integrated North American aerospace supply chain.
The threat came just hours before Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on around $20 billion worth of US goods. Thai was the latest escalation in tensions between the two longtime trading partners.
Bombardier Already Has a Major US Presence
Bombardier responded by pointing out the scale of its existing American operations rather than directly addressing Trump’s threat. The Montreal-based manufacturer employs around 3,500 workers in the US and operates facilities in several states, including Kansas, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Connecticut. Its Wichita, Kansas operation works on specialized military and mission aircraft.
Bombardier also relies heavily on American suppliers and says its US presence supports tens of thousands of jobs in the wider aerospace industry.
The American market is crucial to the company. Roughly half of the approximately 5,100 Bombardier aircraft currently operated by customers worldwide are based in the US.
“Bombardier values its great partnership with American companies and its US employees,” the company said, and added that it plans to continue investing in its workforce, customers and communities across the country.
Trump has targeted Bombardier before. Earlier this year, he threatened tariffs and possible certification action against some of the company’s aircraft due to a separate dispute involving Canadian approval of jets made by US rival Gulfstream. Neither measure ultimately took effect.
The latest confrontation has also drawn a strong response in Quebec, where Bombardier is one of the province’s most prominent manufacturers. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette described Bombardier as a “flagship” of the province’s economy and said her government would support the company.
“Quebec will not allow anyone to dictate where our companies must produce in order to access a market,” she wrote.
