Trump threatens to ban Bombardier jets from US market
President Trump said he will block Bombardier aircraft sales in the United States unless the Canadian manufacturer builds planes there, despite the company's supply chain spanning 2,800 U.S. firms and more than 1,000 workers in Kansas.
President Donald Trump has threatened to bar Canadian planemaker Bombardier from selling its aircraft in the United States unless the company shifts manufacturing across the border, escalating a trade dispute that has already drawn retaliatory tariffs from Ottawa.
In a social media post Monday, Trump wrote: «NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough! If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.’» The threat follows the collapse of Canada-U.S. trade talks on Aug. 21, after which the administration has unleashed a series of tariffs and personal attacks portraying Canada as weak and dependent. Canada responded Tuesday by imposing tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of American goods.
Bombardier pushed back, noting that its operations are already deeply integrated with the American aerospace industry. The company said its supply chain includes about 2,800 U.S. companies across 47 states, and that it supports tens of thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly. Wings for its business jets are manufactured in Texas, and flight control components are produced near Los Angeles.
«Bombardier values its great partnership with American companies and its U.S. employees. Our plan is to continue to invest in our people, our customers, and the communities in which we operate across the country,» the company said in a statement. It also argued that the American aerospace industry is a «clear winner on trade and exports.»
The dispute carries political weight in Kansas, a state Trump won by about 16 percentage points in 2024. Bombardier employs more than 1,000 workers there, and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said he has already contacted the administration to highlight the company’s local footprint. «I reached out to the Trump administration to make certain the President is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers at Bombardier and in the Bombardier supply chain,» Moran wrote on social media. He pledged to keep working to ensure the planemaker’s manufacturing operations remain in the state.
The threat comes amid broader friction over Canadian defense procurement. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Ottawa would buy six early warning radar planes from Sweden’s Saab and Bombardier rather than from U.S. manufacturers. Those aircraft, based on Bombardier’s Global 6500 platform, contain about 20% U.S. content. The rejected alternatives included Boeing’s E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and L3Harris’s Aeris X. Canada is also reviewing its plans to purchase U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, and Saab has proposed building its Gripen fighter in Canada instead.
Bombardier is one of Canada’s oldest and most recognizable manufacturers. Founded by Joseph-Armand Bombardier, an inventor in rural Quebec who began making snowmobiles in the 1930s, the company later expanded into train-making and commercial aircraft before selling off those divisions to focus on private business jets. It has also spun off parts of its recreational vehicle business over the years.
