Why Trump is so wrong on Canadian dairy tariffs

I'm already a bit bored with explaining just how wrong Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Canada are, but here's just one more way they are wrong.

It varies depending on the day, and the time of day, but one of the things that send Trump apologetic, and has him blustering about how UNFAIR Canada is being to the US, concerns Canada's dairy imports, and he says he intends to charge Canada 250% tariffs back.

Now, you might have some legitimate concerns about Canada's internal dairy industry supply management system (I looked into it a few years ago), but vis-à-vis dairy imports from the United States in particular, the rules are set according to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, or CUSMA, or whatever awkward acronym you prefer). Yes, that's the successor to NAFTA that Trump insisted on renegotiating during his first term back in 2018.

Trump (and his cabinet minions) repeatedly rant about how Canada is charging the US "250% tariffs" on its dairy imports, and how we are treating American "VERY BADLY". The truth is, though, that those high tariffs (on a sliding scale, with a theoretical maximum of 241%) only apply only after imports reach designated maximum annual levels. Up until these levels are reached, the tariff on dairy imports from the US is ... zero. 

Furthermore, as both Canadian and US dairy industry figures agree, the zero-tariff maximum has never been reached in any category of dairy imports. So, Canada is charging the US precisely ZERO in dairy tariffs, not 250% or any other figure. 

And, remember, this is enshrined in the USMCA that Trump himself signed into effect in 2018, an agreement that he has called "the best trade deal ever made". Trump has also claimed that Canadian dairy tariffs were "well taken care of" during his first presidential term, but that "under Biden, they just kept it raising it". Nope. The dairy tariffs remain exactly the same as when Trump agreed and signed the USMCA; they can't be changed without renegotiating the agreement itself.

Of course, these are just facts, and no doubt Trump will have "alternative facts" to suit his case. Someone may explain all of the above to him and his trade team, but it is very unlikely to make a blind bit of difference. Legally, however, he doesn't have a leg to stand on.