On Thursday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made it crystal clear: the Biden-era trade policies that gave away American jobs are over, and under President Donald Trump, the focus is back on putting America first. When asked whether the United States and Canada could reach a mutual agreement to eliminate tariffs, Lutnick didn’t hesitate.
“We want to bring back those jobs to America,” he declared.
Canada’s Dependence on the U.S. Economy
Lutnick didn’t mince words about Canada’s reliance on the U.S. economy. “Canada exists leaning on our economy,” he pointed out, emphasizing that the auto industry—once a cornerstone of American manufacturing—had been slowly shipped away across the northern border, largely to escape the influence of the United Auto Workers (UAW).
“Why did Michigan’s cars move to Canada? To break out of the UAW. That’s just unfair to American workers and American union workers,” he said.
Lutnick highlighted how President Trump has been a champion for American workers, refusing to let foreign nations take advantage of our economy. He also criticized Canada’s attitude, pointing out that their leaders have taken a hostile approach rather than a cooperative one.
“Can you imagine a provincial leader—the equivalent of a governor—deciding that they’re going to attack America and put a 25% increase on energy prices to teach Donald Trump a lesson? What happened? He learned a lesson. We’re going to come in and talk.”
In other words, President Trump is making sure that America gets the respect it deserves in international trade. No more one-sided deals that benefit foreign countries at the expense of American jobs and businesses.
Why Not Just Eliminate Tariffs?
Host Martha MacCallum pressed Lutnick, asking why the U.S. and Canada couldn’t just do away with tariffs altogether. She noted the constant back-and-forth—25%, then 50%, then back to 25%—and described it as “mind-boggling.”
Lutnick’s response was firm: “That would be true if you were Fox Canada. Fox Canada would like that.”
MacCallum followed up, mentioning President Trump’s comments about the $200 million in aid the U.S. sends to Canada. She asked if that aid would be cut off and wanted to know what the administration’s starting point was in negotiations.
Lutnick’s answer was straight to the point: “The starting point is, we care about America first, we care about American workers first, and we want to bring back those jobs to America.”
He made it clear that President Trump’s priority is restoring manufacturing and production to American soil. “We don’t want to buy 60% of our aluminum from Canada. We want to bring it to America. We want [to bring] the cars to America. We want to make America great first, then we can worry about Canada.”
This approach shouldn’t come as a surprise. Trump’s entire presidency has been defined by putting American workers and industries ahead of globalist policies that shipped jobs overseas. Unlike Biden, who allowed foreign countries to exploit America’s generosity, Trump is making sure that if Canada or any other country wants to do business with us, they have to respect us.
The days of the U.S. being taken advantage of on trade are over. The Trump administration is ensuring that every deal made is fair, reciprocal, and most importantly, beneficial to American workers. Whether it’s manufacturing, energy, or trade agreements, President Trump has a clear message:
America comes first.
