Trump Tells Bombardier To Build in US or Stop Treating America Like a 'Piggybank'

President Donald Trump has warned that Bombardier could be barred from the US market unless the Canadian aerospace group shifts more manufacturing to American soil, intensifying a trade dispute with Ottawa that has already led to sweeping tariffs and a symbolic US move to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America'.

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump wrote: 'NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES' unless the company agreed to 'build here' and stop treating America as a 'piggybank'. He added: 'BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA. AMERICA FIRST!'

The threat is Trump's most direct challenge yet to Bombardier and comes despite the Montreal-based manufacturer's deep ties to the US market.

About half of the roughly 5,100 aircraft operated by Bombardier customers are based in the United States, and the company runs a defence division out of a factory in Kansas that equips aircraft for special mission work.

Severing that relationship overnight would be far from straightforward, given Bombardier's deep ties to US operators and supply chains. Trump claimed on Monday that 'over half' of Bombardier's revenue comes from the US.

He also accused Canada of blocking 'our GREAT American Banks, and Companies' and of previously restricting US rival Gulfstream's access to the Canadian market. These figures and allegations, which have not been independently verified, reflect Trump's position rather than established fact.

Neither the White House nor Bombardier had responded to requests for comment at the time of writing.

Trump Has Used Bombardier as Leverage Before

This is not the first time Trump has used Bombardier as leverage. In January, he said the US was decertifying Bombardier's Global Express business jets and threatened 50 per cent tariffs on all Canadian-made aircraft unless Canadian regulators certified a slate of Gulfstream models.

Neither threat materialised, but Transport Canada approved several Gulfstream aircraft the following month. Bombardier, meanwhile, has continued expanding its operations.

On 1 September it announced plans to buy a Canadian wing factory from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, consolidating a key part of its supply chain.

In July, the company reported quarterly revenue of $2.15 billion, up 6 per cent year-on-year, driven by strong demand for aftermarket services.

How the Broader US-Canada Trade War Fuels Trump's Threat

Trump's warning comes amid a broader tariff dispute between Washington and Ottawa that has run for more than a year. After trade talks collapsed in late August, the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on a range of Canadian imports, including wine, cement and hockey sticks.

Canada responded with roughly $20 billion in retaliatory tariffs on more than 700 US products. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC that Canadian negotiators 'blew up' a near-complete deal 'for political reasons only'.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa would return to the table 'when the Americans are ready'. Trump has also ordered that Lake Ontario be labelled 'Lake America' on US government maps, a move widely seen in Canada as symbolic rather than a substantive policy step.

High Stakes for Bombardier and US Operators

The dispute now touches sectors far beyond aerospace, but Bombardier's position illustrates the difficulty of Trump's demands.

With roughly half its US-linked fleet already flying on American runways and a supply chain increasingly rooted in North America, disentangling the company from the US market would carry costs for American operators as well as the manufacturer itself.

Whether the administration is prepared to follow through with formal measures, rather than social media threats, remains unclear.