Trump Threatens to Block Bombardier Jet Sales in US Unless It Builds Jets in America

President Donald Trump has threatened to stop Bombardier from selling its business jets in the United States unless the Canadian aerospace company begins manufacturing the aircraft on American soil.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared: “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” He added that if the company wants access to the US market, “they must build here.”

The threat comes as tensions between Washington and Ottawa continue to intensify over trade, with Canada preparing another round of retaliatory tariffs on US products.

Trump accuses Bombardier of exploiting the US market

Trump accused Bombardier of treating the United States like a “piggybank” and criticized the quality of its products, saying they were “not good enough.”

The remarks appear to extend Trump's broader push to pressure foreign manufacturers into moving production to the United States.

However, the White House has not publicly explained how such a sales ban would be implemented or what legal mechanism could be used to prevent Bombardier from delivering aircraft to American customers.

That could prove particularly complicated because Bombardier aircraft already operate in the US market and several models have received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The company's aircraft are also covered by the framework of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), adding another layer to the trade dispute.

Can Trump actually stop Bombardier sales?

The practical and legal obstacles could be significant.

Aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia said he did not expect customers to simply cancel their Bombardier orders and questioned how the administration could actually prevent the company from selling its aircraft in the United States.

Bombardier's supply chain also makes the dispute more complicated.

Many of its business jets use engines manufactured in the United States by companies including Honeywell Aerospace and GE Aerospace. This means Bombardier's aircraft are not simply Canadian products being imported into an isolated American market—they are built through a deeply integrated North American aerospace supply chain.

The wider US aerospace industry itself runs a substantial trade surplus, estimated at around $109.2 billion, while American and Canadian aerospace manufacturers rely heavily on cross-border parts and components.

Bombardier already has a major US presence

Bombardier has pushed back against the idea that it operates outside the United States.

The company employs approximately 3,500 people in the US and works with around 2,800 American suppliers. It says its annual spending with US suppliers exceeds $2.5 billion.

Bombardier also operates manufacturing and service facilities across the country and is expanding its US service network with plans for a sixth service centre.

Its presence extends into aircraft manufacturing as well. Bombardier produces wings for its Global 8000 business jet in Texas, while its defense division operates a facility in Kansas that prepares Canadian-built aircraft for special-mission applications.

The US is also one of Bombardier's most important markets. Roughly half of the company's 5,100-aircraft fleet is operated by customers in the United States.

Another escalation in the US-Canada trade fight

Trump's latest threat comes after several months of tensions between Washington and Ottawa.

In January, Trump said the United States would decertify Bombardier Global Express jets and threatened tariffs of as much as 50% on Canadian aircraft unless Canada certified certain Gulfstream aircraft.

The threatened measures did not ultimately materialize in the broad form Trump had suggested, while Canada certified several Gulfstream models the following month.

The latest Bombardier threat therefore marks another escalation in a dispute that has increasingly moved beyond traditional tariffs.

Rather than simply imposing a higher import duty, Trump's latest demand could force the company to consider shifting more production into the United States if Washington follows through.

Bombardier's business remains strong

The pressure comes as Bombardier continues to report growth.

In July, the company reported 6% quarterly revenue growth, reaching approximately $2.15 billion, with strong demand for its aftermarket services helping drive the increase.

That performance could give Bombardier some room to absorb trade-related pressure, but a major restriction on access to the US market would nevertheless pose a serious challenge given the size of its American customer base.

What happens next?

The biggest question is whether Trump's statement becomes an actual government policy.

The administration has yet to provide details on whether it intends to restrict FAA approvals, impose new tariffs, block aircraft deliveries or use another legal mechanism to limit Bombardier's access to US customers.

Any such move could also face legal challenges and potentially complicate the existing USMCA framework.

At the same time, Bombardier's extensive American workforce, US supplier network and domestic production operations make it difficult to draw a simple line between a “Canadian” aircraft and an “American” one.