Ontario premier ‘cautiously optimistic’ amid Trump tariffs

(NewsNation) — Ontario Premier Doug Ford sounded a conciliatory note Wednesday after President Trump announced a new slate of tariffs on foreign trade partners — minus Canada and Mexico.

“Make no mistake about it, Canadians love Americans. They love the U.S., and I do, too,” Ford told NewsNation's “The Hill” on Wednesday, saying he is "cautiously optimistic" about trade between the two countries.

Ford, leader of Canada's most populous province, previously received wide attention for pushing back against Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canada. At one point, he threatened to tariff or even turn off electricity supplied to three U.S. states. He later relented.

Wednesday was different. Trump unveiled a plan to charge reciprocal and baseline tariffs against several U.S. trading partners, but Canada and Mexico were notably absent. Those two countries are still subject to a 25 percent tariff, with goods covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement exempted.

Ford said he has been in discussions with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and said the two nations can negotiate terms of a trade deal benefiting everyone.

“You’ll see the markets climb if that happens," he told host Blake Burman. "You’ll see greater investment, greater consumer confidence, and that’s what we believe is the right thing to do."