As the trade tensions continue to escalate between the U.S. and Canada, President Donald
Trump upped the ante by threatening to ban the sale of Canada’s Bombardier unless it
manufactures its planes in the United States.
The Canadian jet maker has a significant footprint in the U.S. across numerous industries
and in many states, and lawmakers have begun to express concern over Trump’s latest
salvo in the expanding trade war.
Since trade talks collapsed on August 21, the Trump administration has tagged a barrage of
tariffs on Canada as well as increased threats and personal attacks. Canada, meanwhile,
responded with tariffs of their own on about $20 billion worth of U.S. goods.
Trump boldly took to Truth Social on Monday with the following: “NO MORE SELLING
BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough! If they want our
Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.’”
In response, Bombardier took a more measured reaction.
“Bombardier values its great partnership with American companies and its U.S.
employees. Our plan is to continue to invest in our people, our customers, and the
communities in which we operate across the country,” it said.
Bombardier also said in its statement that the American aerospace industry is a “clear
winner on trades and exports”, and that they create tens of thousands of jobs both directly
and through its supply chain.
Bombardier’s supply chain includes about 2,800 companies in 47 states, as major
components for their planes, from wings to engines, are produced in the U.S.
Wings for its business jets are made in Texas, and flight components are produced just
outside of Los Angeles. Honeywell, a major U.S. aerospace manufacturer, makes engines
for Bombardier’s Challenger jets in Phoenix, and Collins Aerospace makes avionics and
communications equipment in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Perhaps Bombardier’s largest American footprint is in Kansas, the center of the American
heartland, and a place of significant operations for Bombardier. Both U.S. Senate seats in
Kansas have been held by Republicans for nearly a century, and Trump easily carried the
state by 16 percentage points in 2024.
Both current U.S. Senators from Kansas have reached out to President Trump, expressing
their concern regarding his threats Bombardier, and the potential impact on workers in the
state of Kansas.
“I reached out to the Trump administration to make certain the President is aware of the
significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas,” said Sen. Jerry Moran on social media,
“and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers at Bombardier and
in the Bombardier supply chain.”
Sen. Roger Marshall echoed the same sentiments on Tuesday, saying on social media “I’m
going to fight to keep Bombardier’s overall 1,200 Kansas jobs. I’ve already taken that
concern inside the Oval Office.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated earlier this year that his government would
buy early warning radar planes from Sweden’s Saab and Bombardier, rather than from U.S.
manufacturers. The Swedish planes use the Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft platform and
have 20% U.S. content. The alternatives would have been the U.S. manufactured Wedgetail
made by Boeing or the Aeris X made by L3Harris.
Saab, in turn, has proposed making its Gripen fighter jet in Canada.
Bombardier is one of the oldest and most well-known Canadian manufacturers, founded in
the 1930’s by Joseph-Armand Bombardier, an inventor and entrepreneur from Quebec, who
began making snowmobiles and other snow going equipment.
It expanded to the train making business and ultimately to regional and commercial
aircraft. Those parts of the business were sold off, as the company restructured to make
private business jets.
On Wednesday, despite Trump’s threat, Bombardier announced it was hiring 500 new
workers in the U.S.
“We are actively recruiting for 500 new positions in America,” said Bombardier in a
statement on Wednesday. “They comprise net new positions, as well as planned
retirement placements and backfill for usual turnover in the 3,500+ employment base.”
The jobs will include new positions at a new service center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is
set to open in mid-November, according to Bombardier’s statement.
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