U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to shut Canadian business jet maker Bombardier out of the U.S. market unless the company begins manufacturing aircraft in the United States, escalating an already tense trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa.
“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough!” Trump said Monday in a post on Truth Social.
“If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank’,” he added.
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Trump did not specify what legal or regulatory mechanism his administration would use to prevent Bombardier from delivering aircraft to U.S. customers.
The threat comes as Canada prepares to impose a new round of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, adding to a broader trade confrontation that has disrupted relations between two of America’s largest trading partners.
Bombardier’s aircraft already have regulatory clearance to operate in the United States and comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the North American trade pact negotiated during Trump’s first administration.
U.S. aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia said he did not expect Bombardier customers to cancel existing orders and questioned how the administration could prevent the company from selling aircraft that have already received U.S. regulatory approval.
The threat also runs against the structure of the North American aerospace industry, which relies heavily on cross-border supply chains.
Many Bombardier business jets use engines manufactured in the United States by Honeywell Aerospace and GE Aerospace. The company also maintains a substantial U.S. industrial footprint, including factories, service operations, thousands of workers, and a large network of American suppliers.
Bombardier employs about 3,500 people in the United States and has roughly 2,800 U.S. suppliers. It is expanding its U.S. service network with a sixth service center and manufactures wings for its flagship Global 8000 business jet in Texas. The company also has a U.S. defense operation in Kansas, where Canadian-built aircraft are modified and prepared for specialized missions.
The American market is important to Bombardier. About half of the roughly 5,100 aircraft operated by the company’s customers are located in the United States, making access to U.S. buyers central to its commercial and aftermarket businesses. That exposure could give Washington leverage, but it also underlines the difficulty of using tariffs or import restrictions against aerospace companies without affecting American manufacturers and suppliers.
The aerospace industry has so far been less exposed to Trump’s tariff campaign than many other manufacturing sectors. According to the Aerospace Industries Association, the U.S. aerospace and defense industry recorded a $109.2 billion trade surplus, with exports rising 25% in 2025.
The sector’s dependence on international supply chains means restrictions on Canadian aircraft could have consequences beyond Bombardier. American engine makers, component manufacturers, maintenance providers and other suppliers participate in the same cross-border ecosystem.
The dispute also follows an earlier confrontation between Trump and Bombardier.
In January, Trump said the United States was decertifying Bombardier Global Express business jets and threatened a 50% tariff on Canadian-made aircraft unless Canada’s aviation regulator certified certain Gulfstream aircraft. Neither measure ultimately took effect, while Canada certified several Gulfstream models the following month.
The latest threat therefore adds another layer of uncertainty for Bombardier as it competes with U.S. business jet manufacturers such as Gulfstream, which is owned by General Dynamics.
Bombardier has continued to report solid operating demand. The company said in July that quarterly revenue increased 6% year over year to $2.15 billion, supported in part by strong demand for aftermarket services.
That aftermarket business has become relevant because business jets generate revenue well beyond their initial sale through maintenance, parts and other services. A prolonged restriction on aircraft deliveries could therefore affect not only Bombardier’s new-jet business but also its longer-term relationship with U.S. operators.
For Trump, the Bombardier dispute fits into a broader push to force foreign manufacturers to increase production inside the United States. For the aerospace industry, however, the episode is exposing the tension between that goal and a supply chain that has developed across North America over decades.
Any attempt to restrict Bombardier sales would also raise questions about how the administration intends to reconcile such a policy with existing trade commitments, aviation certifications, and the extensive U.S. content already embedded in Bombardier aircraft.