Mayors from the U.S. and Canada stand together against Trump tariffs 

Daniel Rickenmann, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, knows he is taking a risk by criticizing President Trump’s sweeping new tariffs.

“If that causes me pain, then you know, that's gonna cause me pain,” Rickenmann, a Republican, said. “But I've got to make sure that I stand up for my community.”

Rickenmann is among a group of North American mayors who joined a bipartisan summit last week in Washington to warn of the high cost of tariffs on local economies.

Mark Sutcliffe, mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, was also there to advocate for free and fair trade.

“What I hope from all of this is that through the relationships that were formed last week when Mayor Rickenmann and I, and other mayors were in Washington speaking with each other, and we were united against these tariffs, that a message can get through to the Trump administration that this is harmful to all of our best interests,” Sutcliffe said. “The impact is significant, and we need to get back to respecting our existing agreements.”

The latest round of tariffs Trump announced Wednesday include a minimum 10% tariff on all U.S. imports from other countries.

Separate 25% tariffs on cars and car parts are also now in effect. Canada and Mexico were not hit with any additional tariffs.

What was your reaction to President Trump’s new tariffs announcement?

Daniel Rickenmann: “I think what we were hoping for is more opportunity for this administration and leaders across the globe, sitting at a table and really working out fair trade to make sure that we are working to create opportunities, not reduce opportunities. And that's our biggest fear. As we mayors got together last week, both from Canada and Mexico, along with several U.S. mayors, that was the theme. You know, we don't want to hurt people. We want to make sure that there's fair and opportunity trade throughout the system.”

Mark Sutcliffe: “To be honest, the first reaction was relief that Canada wasn't facing additional measures beyond what's already been put in place by the Trump administration. And those original tariffs and the more recent ones on the auto industry have been very harmful to trade between Canada and the U.S., and we're really worried about that.

“We've spent decades building an amazing and very productive trading partnership with the United States. We have a free trade agreement that President Trump initiated and signed in his first term in office. And I think we want to see a return to the direction we were going in, which was freer trade, not more obstacles to free trade. So, it's all very concerning and very worrying. But at the same time, there was at least a little bit of relief that Canada was not facing further tariffs.”

What kind of impact will this new trade war have on your economy?

Sutcliffe: “It is a huge impact, and we don't have a big manufacturing component to our economy. We're the nation's capital. We're the capital of Canada. And so, we do have a strong technology industry, a lot of tourism. But the greatest impact, I think, is just on the economic uncertainty that it creates and the fact that there's a risk that on any given day there could be new measures that are put in place. So, it's had a chilling effect on the economy.

“I think it's also had an impact on Canadians just because we have built so many great ties with Americans, you know, friendships, business relationships. There are so many families who have members of their family on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. And it just feels like there's a great deal of tension in that relationship now that is harmful to trade, harmful to tourism, harmful to those relationships after three decades of moving in a very positive direction. That prosperity that our local economies enjoy right now and our two countries enjoy, a lot of it was built on the fact that we had had these free trade agreements.”

Rickenmann: “We are concerned not only as the state capital, but as a state as well. I mean, we have BMW here, Volvo, Mercedes Sprinter vans – 85% of all of the BMWs produced here are exported. So, you start thinking about the trickle-down effect of these tariffs on those vehicles for a company like BMW, who has made millions and millions of dollars of investments in this community since 1985 and really have driven us to where we've become a stronger [at] manufacturing in the automotive industry.

“There are over 500 companies, everything from different auto parts to textiles, and all here-based. But then, it's not just that, it's companies like Sonoco Products who are based here, in Hartsville, South Carolina, who have points of distribution and production across our state that thousands of people are employed by. Just the aluminum tariff coming out of Canada affects that packaging.

“And then let alone our small businesses here, where we have contract brewers who have been sending their craft product to Europe and everywhere else now facing orders being canceled because of the uncertainty. So that starts to affect everything down the pipeline.

“And then let alone the concern that we all have with the rebuilding of Western North Carolina… the wildfires that we are experiencing not only in our state, in the low country… is on building materials, and we have a lot of projects coming out of the ground where steel and other products, aluminum products, all part of building… There's just so much uncertainty that suddenly these projects now are being halted. Well, that's affecting all of our subcontractors who are all local. So, there's deep concern here. I mean, we looked at it as a state and this potentially could be a $3 billion a year cost to us.”

Do people in your community believe Trump when he says tariffs will bring manufacturing jobs back into the United States and make the country stronger?

Rickenmann: “I think that it's really kind of a double-edged sword because I think long-term, folks are going, ‘Well yes, we want to see the U.S. treated better and fair trade across the United States.’

“But at the same time, you don't want to penalize partners that you've had relationships with… So, I think this is where we should be sitting at the table… having conversations. And I think that's what I'm looking for from this administration is let's see, the art of the deal. The art of the deals at the table.”

Do you want Canada to respond with tariffs?

Sutcliffe: “I think we have to. I know a lot of Americans think of Canadians as nice, polite, people, and we are, but we're not gonna back down when there's a situation like this. We are going to fight back and we're gonna fight back strong, and we're gonna protect our interests.”

Do you feel like you're out on a limb here taking a risk by criticizing these tariffs – would that make negotiations harder in the future?

Rickenmann: “My job, at the end of the day, is to take care of the people in my community and advocate for the businesses and the residents here. And that's what I'm doing… There are a lot of things that I appreciate that the administration's doing — and I know this administration really cares about folks — but I think this is the time where the administration needs to step back and use its bully pulpit to bring people together. And I think going down in history, being a negotiator and working out something that creates better fair trade across the globe with everybody, will be looked at in the future much better than it is right now with this constant uncertainty and threats.”

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Ashley Locke produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Todd Mundt. Locke also adapted it for the web.