As the United States gears up for another presidential election, Canada’s auto industry faces the possibility of a Donald Trump comeback. Despite an avalanche of legal troubles, the former U.S. president remains the top choice among Republican voters to lead their party in November 2024.
Trump’s penchant for protectionism is nothing new, and Canada’s political and auto industry leaders are well-trained in battling trade disputes with U.S. administrations of different political stripes, said Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association . Before the introduction of the IRA, Canadian lobbyists in Washington successfully fought attempts by the Biden administration to implement electric-vehicle rebates favouring U.S.-based automakers that employ unionized workers, Volpe noted.But Trump tends to take his rhetoric up several notches, unleashing chaos and uncertainty. “Trade wars are good, and easy to win,” he tweeted in 2018.