Bombardier defends US role after Trump sales threat

Bombardier has responded to President Donald Trump's threat to stop it selling jets in the United States unless it moves manufacturing there. Trump said in a Truth Social post on 7 September that the Canadian company should no longer treat America like a 'piggybank' and that its products 'aren't good enough'.

The US accounts for about half of Bombardier's business jet market, so restrictions could have severe financial consequences for the Montreal-based firm, which is still recovering from losses on the CSeries programme.

Bombardier says it is responsible for tens of thousands of jobs across the United States, with operations in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington DC. It also cites indirect employment in 20 states and spending of more than $2.5 billion annually with US suppliers. The company's defence division is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.

Trump's intervention follows a long-running trade dispute between the US and Canada. Talks collapsed last month, and retaliatory sanctions from Ottawa came into effect on 8 September.