Trump trade adviser says Canada will 'pay even more dearly' if 'you interfere' in U.S. midterms

Peter Navarro said Canadian lobbyists should 'get the hell out of our country'

One of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade advisers is threatening repercussions for Canada if it "interferes" in the upcoming midterm elections — though it's not clear what he anticipates the country would do to impact the vote.

Peter Navarro, who has lashed out at Canada in the past, made these latest remarks during a talk at an economic conference in Washington on Tuesday.

Navarro was speaking generally about the Trump administration's trade policy when the conversation turned to the ongoing dispute with Canada. He blasted Canadians on "K Street" — an area in Washington known as a hub for lobbyists — telling them to "get the hell out of our country."

"The problem you have is you lobby this country and you've been successful in the past and you think you can keep doing that," Navarro said of Canada's approach.

"Memo to Canada: You cannot do that. That game is up and if you interfere in our elections in Maine or Michigan you will pay even more dearly."

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During the talks that led to the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in Trump's first term, Ottawa leaned on U.S. labour and business groups to help make its case. More recently, a number of Canadian provinces have hired their own representatives to be present for ongoing trade discussions in D.C. since Trump returned to the White House in early 2025.

Navarro didn't elaborate on what he meant by suggesting Canada could interfere in the election, but the ongoing trade war has become an election topic in the two border states he mentioned.

The Democratic nominee for Michigan's open Senate seat, Abdul El-Sayed, has sought to make trade with Canada a central ballot issue for the vote in November. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, has opposed the trade war.

Navarro made the comments on the same day that Trump's latest trade escalation came into effect.

As of Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. ET, some Canadian alcohol products, dairy byproducts, motorcycles and molasses have been shut out of the U.S. market.

These Canadian goods are now officially banned in the U.S.

The White House announced the bans and some additional tariffs a few days after Canada slapped counter-tariffs on U.S. goods earlier this month. Both moves came after trade talks collapsed in August.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he expects Canada to return to the negotiating table in the coming weeks with an apology.

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"I think what's going to happen is over the next three or four weeks, they're going to come to us and they're gonna say, 'We're gonna get rid of all the tariffs,"' the president said.

Trump also repeated claims that Canada has treated the U.S. "unfairly" and said it's been "one of the worst countries in the entire world" when it comes to trade.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc's office said Monday the government's top priority remains "protecting and supporting Canadian workers, farmers, families and businesses from these unjustified actions."

Darren Major is a senior writer for CBC's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. He previously worked as a digital reporter for CBC Ottawa and a producer for CBC's Power & Politics. He holds a master's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in public affairs and policy management, both from Carleton University. He also holds a master's degree in arts from Queen's University. He can be reached at darren.major@cbc.ca.

With files from The Canadian Press