President Trump said the war in Iran was nearly over as he threatened to implement new tariffs on the entire continent of Europe should Canada join the EU.
The commander-in-chief spoke to reporters on Wednesday, ahead of a scheduled appearance to support Republicans in the midterm elections.
He was asked about the ongoing military operation in the Middle East, which began at the end of February when US and Israeli forces struck Iran.
‘Well, hopefully we’re toward the end of the war,’ Trump said. ‘They want to make a deal, and we’ll see how that works out.’
When he was then asked about a proposal for Canada to join the EU as an ‘associate member,’ Trump said he found the idea ‘laughable.’
‘Canada has been a terrible trade partner, and no, I don’t see it,’ he said.
‘And if they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will bring very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,’ the president then warned.
‘If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,’ he continued.
President Donald Trump spoke to reporters ahead of a campaign event on Wednesday
The US president threatened implementing new tariffs should Canada join the European Union. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are pictured together on Wednesday
Trump said he is hopeful that the war in Iran is almost over. A damaged oil tanker is pictured in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday
The president’s remarks come just one day after the House approved a war powers resolution that would halt the president’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval or to defend the US or one of its allies from an ‘imminent attack.’
The roll call late on Tuesday night, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining all Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict.
None of the resolutions have made it to the president’s desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.
‘Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?’ said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who served as a Marine during the Iraq War and pushed the resolution forward.
Moulton said it’s time for Congress to ‘actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration.’
But Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned which military resources Democrats would want to remove from the region where he said Iran remains a threat.
Mast said Trump is against ‘forever wars, and that is what he is ending’ – the decades of hostilities from Iran.
‘They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States,’ Mast said. ‘Enough is enough.’
Trump has remained publicly committed to the Iran campaign, while War Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing a fresh challenge from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who introduced articles of impeachment accusing him of unlawfully continuing military action
The House has approved a war powers resolution that would halt the president’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval, except when necessary to defend the United States, an ally or partner from an ‘imminent attack’
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 would give Congress a mechanism to limit the president’s use of military force without congressional authorization.
The action is likely the last House vote on the Iran war ahead of the midterm elections, where the conflict overseas is playing a substantial role in the political campaigns.
Before voting even began, Representative Thomas Massie read aloud articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth, putting the secretary’s conduct during the Iran war in the spotlight.
He accused Hegseth of unlawfully continuing US military action against Iran without proper authorization from Congress.
Massie’s move could force House Republicans into an uncomfortable showdown over Hegseth’s conduct, although impeachment itself is far from certain.
The Kentucky congressman filed the measure as a privileged resolution, meaning the House must take it up within two legislative days, setting the stage for a potentially explosive vote.
It came as a damning report from the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General revealed that the war in Iran has cost the United States at least $33.4 billion as hundreds of destroyed buildings and dozens of aircrafts remain unaccounted for.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she wanted to add Canada as an associate member
Meanwhile Trump faced a new threat on the international stage on Wednesday, when European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she wanted to add Canada as an associate member.
During the top Eurocrat’s annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament, she repeatedly love-bombed Canadian premier Mark Carney – who was in the chamber – saying Brussels wanted ‘to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.’
‘Dear Mark, I said we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. So, I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,’ she said, to the surprise of the EU’s 27 member states.
‘We share one ocean, one set of values, one way of seeing the world. And we will now build our shared future as well – thank you for being here.’
But the attempt to flatter Carney faltered, with diplomats telling the Daily Mail they were never briefed about the proposal and that ‘associate membership’ doesn’t exist.
The EU diplomats accused Brussels of ‘over-reach’, with one going as far as to call the announcement ‘bombastic.’
Carney looked on as von der Leyen heaped praise onto him and his nation
‘There will be a summit at the end of October, so logically they will talk about deepening the relations,’ the diplomat said.
‘But no one has ever seen an associate membership and no idea what it means in practice. Canada is a valuable partner for the EU, one of the few currently in the world where we share the values, so it is nothing against Canada.
‘But first and foremost the member states should be the ones to express what kind of relationship the EU wants to have with any third country.’
Another told the Daily Mail von der Leyen ‘kept this bit of associate membership out of the text until the last moment. She also did not mention it up front to EU member states.
‘It seems like she is a bit too far out in floating this. Everyone is positive about Canada, and wants to strengthen the relationship.
‘But there is a lot of uncertainty about what von der Leyen envisages by coining this label.’
