2026-09-13 · contested story
Kansas pays an ever-increasing price for Trump’s trade wars | Opinion
On Labor Day 2026, President Trump escalated his trade war with Canada by declaring on Truth Social that Canadian aerospace giant Bombardier could 'NO MORE' sell its jets in the United States unless it manufactures them domestically. The threat came hours before Canada's retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20 billion of US goods took effect, in response to Trump's own 50% tariffs on an equal value of Canadian products imposed after trade talks collapsed in August. The move backfired politically: Bombardier maintains its US headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, employs more than 1,000 Kansans (and 3,500 Americans nationwide), and draws from roughly 2,800 suppliers across 47 states. Kansas Republican Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall — the latter in a competitive reelection race — publicly pushed back against the president of their own party.
How each side frames it
left
"Trump's Own Senator Calls Him Out Over Insulting Canada Rant"
"their fellow Kansans in actual towns where the median income is far lower are going to get slammed"
"the tariffs that our administration here in the US is what's hurt farmers. The tariffs that we have put on Canada, frankly, are what's hurting farmers"
"How Trump's Crazed Fury at Canada Is Already Backfiring Badly for Him"
"It's such a big ask right now... It's just a wasted effort."
center
"Trump is reaching for a more drastic trade war weapon, with new threats to shut foreign goods out of the U.S. altogether."
"Bombardier pointed out its footprint in the U.S. after President Donald Trump said the Canadian airplane manufacturer must build in America to access the local market."
"GOP senators defend Bombardier after Trump threat"
"Bombardier has a significant presence in Kansas, and in 2022, the company named Wichita its new U.S headquarters."
"Shares of jet manufacturer Bombardier Inc. fell after Donald Trump suggested the company should be blocked from US sales"
right
"I think that he tries to create more and more and more leverage, and at a certain point a deal gets made however it is, and then that's it"
"GOP senator notes company's impact in Kansas"
"The great Keystone XL Pipeline, long ago killed by Sleepy Joe Biden, may be awoken from the grave!"
"The UK faces a 10 per cent rate, despite claiming to have some of the world's toughest laws against modern slavery."
"Trump's latest trade fight could hit one of America's favorite cocktails"
What each side left out
The left left out — covered by the PBS & New York Post & National Post
- Trump's stated legal justification for tariffs (Section 338, forced-labor rationale)
- The negotiation-leverage interpretation of the Bombardier threat
The right left out — covered by the The Damage Report / CTV News & The Boston Globe
- Direct impact on Kansas farmers from steel/aluminum tariffs on farm equipment
- Canadian tourism boycott and its economic cost to US destinations
The center left out — covered by the Esquire & Daily Kos
- Personal/emotional testimony from affected farmers and workers
- Editorial characterization of Trump's approach as 'crazed' or self-destructive
The right left out — covered by the The Daily Beast & NBC News
- Explicit framing of GOP senators as rebuking their own president
What's actually true?
[verified] Trump posted on Truth Social that Bombardier can no longer sell in the US unless it builds there, saying 'their products aren't good enough' and telling Canada to stop treating America like a 'piggybank.'
[verified] Bombardier's US headquarters is in Wichita, Kansas, and supports a local workforce of more than 1,000 employees.
[verified] Bombardier employs about 3,500 people in the US and works with roughly 2,800 suppliers across 47 states.
[verified] Canada's retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of US goods took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on September 8, 2026.
[verified] Trump imposed the 50% tariffs on Canadian goods by invoking Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a Great Depression-era law never previously used to raise tariffs.
[verified] Bombardier stock fell more than 6% following Trump's threat and the imposition of tariffs.
[verified] Canadian travel and spending in the US declined sharply, with Canadian residents making 25% fewer return border crossings and spending about $2.4 billion less on US travel in 2025 than the prior year.
[verified] Trump threatened to bar Canada-origin products from a federal purchasing program and to enact outright import bans on some Canadian goods (alcohol, motorcycles, whey) effective September 29.
The narrative clash
Whether Canada or Trump's own tariffs are hurting US farmers
Left: the tariffs that our administration here in the US is what's hurt farmers... It's the steel and aluminum tariffs primarily because there's a lot of steel and aluminum that goes into farm equipment
Right: Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years... They have also charged our great farmers for many years massive amounts of tariffs. No more.
Whether Bombardier actually manufactures in the US
Left: NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren't good enough!... If they want our Market, they must build here
Right: Bombardier aircraft are built with American-made components such as engines, avionics and many more key systems provided by great American companies
33 sources analyzed
vox.com Al Jazeera Bombardier National Post Fox News The Boston Globe NBC News Axios Fox Business thedailybeast.com CNN The Hill Barron's Esquire CBC CNBC New York Post The New Republic Sky News Forbes The Telegraph Daily Kos USA Today Financial Times The Damage Report U.S. News & World Report Bloomberg.com PBS BBC The Washington Post KSN.com Politico Dayton Daily News