As a trade war builds between the United States and Canada, US President Donald Trump announced in a social media post that Bombardier Aerospace should not be allowed to continue selling aircraft in the US unless the Canadian manufacturer builds them in the country. Bombardier responded that it partly already does.
The statement came despite Bombardier continuing to employ workers across the United States, with sites in Kansas, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, California, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.
In particular, the manufacturer's operations in Wichita, Kansas, employ more than 1,200 workers, primarily focused on defence activities, while the company holds a multi-year contract with the United States Air Force valued at nearly USD465 million.
Learjet, a Bombardier subsidiary, operated an assembly line in Wichita between 1990 and 2022.
"Bombardier aircraft create tens of thousands of US jobs through the company's growing American footprint as well as within its supply chain made up of approximately 2,800 American companies across 47 states," the manufacturer said in a statement, adding that it spends more than USD2.5 billion with US suppliers each year.
The Canadian company added that its aircraft are built using US-made components, including engines, avionics, wings, and other key systems.
Trump's threat comes as Canada and the United States are embroiled in a new trade war, with Ottawa's retaliatory tariffs on roughly 700 US products recently taking effect in response to USD20 billion worth of tariffs imposed by Washington.
This is not the first time Trump has taken aim at Bombardier. In January, he warned that he might decertify some of the company's business jets and threatened steep tariffs on aircraft manufactured in Canada, amid claims that the country was restricting sales by US-based Gulfstream Aerospace.
In his latest post targeting Bombardier, Trump said the company's products "aren't good enough." However, he did not elaborate on what steps his administration might take to bar the company's products or address the alleged deficiencies, or whether his comments could affect Bombardier's defence contracts with the United States.
ch-aviation fleets data shows that 2,112 Bombardier-built aircraft are currently registered and active in the United States, flying for 1,073 operators.
