President Donald Trump’s populist economic doctrine is about to face a reality check on the shores of the Great Lakes. After trade negotiations broke down late last week, the president announced new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports ranging from lumber and agricultural products to consumer electronics.After Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that his country would begin imposing “dollar for dollar” retaliatory tariffs targeting U.S. steel, agricultural machinery, dairy, and appliances, Trump announced that an additional 50% tariff on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts, and steel will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.Many Americans have tuned out the president’s trade rhetoric. Between Trump’s ever-changing decrees and multiple interventions by the courts, it is hard to keep track of which tariffs are currently active. Michiganders, however, will become acutely aware of the impacts of the “economics is fake” wing of the Republican Party. Canada is America’s largest trading partner and was the destination for 16.8% of all U.S. exports in 2024. The economic relationship between Michigan and Ontario goes far beyond bilateral trade — it is a single, deeply integrated, cross-border manufacturing ecosystem.