The President's Daily Brief
March 12th, 2025: Trump Slaps New Tariffs On Canada & Security Clearance Crackdown
12 Mar 2025
In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief: The trade war with Canada escalates—President Trump slaps fresh tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum after Ontario’s governor announces electricity surcharges for American customers. We’ll break down the latest developments and what this means for U.S.-Canada relations. A diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East—Israel and Lebanon are set to negotiate their land border for the first time in years, just months after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. The Trump administration moves to revoke security clearances from former Biden officials once again, raising questions about access to classified intelligence. And in today’s Back of the Brief—the Department of Homeland Security rolls out a new CBP app with a controversial “self-deport” feature. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President’s Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
It's Wednesday, March 12th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the trade war between the US and Canada heats up, with President Trump threatening massive tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, after the governor of Ontario announced electricity surcharges for American customers.
I'll have the latest. Later in the show, just months after Israel's invasion of Lebanon, a breakthrough. Israel and Lebanon are set to negotiate their land border for the first time in years. Plus, the Trump administration announces that it's once again pulling security clearances from former Biden officials.
And in today's Back of the Brief, the Department of Homeland Security is launching a new Customs and Border Patrol, or CBP, app with a self-deport feature. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.
We'll begin with an update on the North American trade war, as President Trump sent markets tumbling on Tuesday after announcing new retaliatory tariffs on Canada, only to pump the brakes again on the new duties just hours later.
It was another day of back and forth announcements from the White House, which began when President Trump declared his intent to slap a 50 percent tariff on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum, doubling a previously announced 25 percent tariff on the products set to take effect on Wednesday.
Trump announced the retaliatory measure after Ontario Premier Doug Ford imposed a 25% tax on electricity exports to the U.S. on Monday. That's according to a report from CNN. It appeared the trade war was set for an extraordinary escalation, threatening to further royal markets that are, well, frankly, already in turmoil.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump took to Truth Social, calling the electricity tariff, quote, outrageous. In addition to imposing a 50% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum, Trump vowed to target Canadian electricity with a 25% tariff and impose new taxes aimed at crippling the Canadian auto industry. He added that the only solution to the trade crisis was for Canada to become the 51st state.
But after several tense hours, both sides decided to keep their powder dry and back down from the economic threats, at least for now. U.S.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Ontario Premier Ford issued a joint statement Tuesday afternoon, saying they would meet on Thursday in Washington to renegotiate aspects of the current North American Free Trade Treaty, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.
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