Trump threatens to ban Bombardier jet sales unless production moves to US

US President Donald Trump has declared that Bombardier will no longer be permitted to sell aircraft in the United States unless it manufactures them there, in a post published on his Truth Social account on September 7, 2026. 

“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” Trump wrote, adding that the company’s products “aren’t good enough,” and that “if they want our Market, they must build here.” 

No executive order, tariff schedule or regulatory action accompanied the statement. 

Bombardier points to Texas-built wings and US suppliers 

Bombardier has responded by highlighting its existing US manufacturing operations and supplier network. In a statement issued on September 7, 2026, the Montreal-based manufacturer highlighted that the wings for the Global 8000 are built at its facility in Red Oak, Texas, and that flight control components are produced at a site in the Los Angeles area. 

Bombardier Defense is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, where it has carried out structural modification work on Canadian-built Global aircraft for special-mission customers. 

According to the release, Bombardier works with approximately 2,800 US supplier companies across 47 states and spends more than $2.5 billion with suppliers each year. It listed sites in nine states and Washington, DC, and noted that the company has a direct employment presence in more than 20 states. A new facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is due to open before the end of 2026. 

US military programs using Bombardier aircraft 

The US military also operates Bombardier-based aircraft. The US Air Force flies the E-11A, a modified Global XRS/6000-series business jet carrying Northrop Grumman’s Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), which connects forces using otherwise incompatible communications systems. Bombardier announced delivery of its ninth Global aircraft for the program in September 2025. 

The US Army has selected the Global 6500 for its High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES), part of its transition from turboprop intelligence aircraft to jets. Bombardier handed over the first prototype airframe at its US headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, on November 25, 2024. 

Lead integrator Sierra Nevada Corporation, which modifies the HADES aircraft in Hagerstown, Maryland, announced on January 13, 2026 that it had purchased a fourth Global 6500 at its own expense to accelerate the program. 

The Gulfstream dispute 

Trump also claimed that Canada had “blocked Gulfstream Aerospace from doing business in Canada,” reviving an accusation he first made earlier this year over delays in Canadian certification of four of the US manufacturer’s business jets. 

On January 29, 2026, Trump accused Canada of withholding approval for Gulfstream’s G500, G600, G700 and G800. He said that the United States was decertifying Bombardier Global Express aircraft in response and threatened a 50% tariff on Canadian-built aircraft unless the Gulfstream approvals were granted. 

Gulfstream already had older models approved in Canada, including the G650, and the outstanding certifications did not constitute a blanket prohibition on the company doing business in the country. 

However, the four models subsequently received Canadian approval. A Transport Canada type certificate data sheet, dated February 15, 2026, confirmed certification of the G500 and G600. The regulator then approved the G700 and G800 on February 23, 2026, thereby completing certification of all four aircraft named in Trump’s earlier complaint. 

No enforcement mechanism announced 

In the United States, aircraft certification sits with the FAA and is tied to airworthiness rather than trade policy. The Global 8000 received an FAA type certificate in December 2025. Bombardier aircraft have also qualified for exemption under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. 

Trump’s post was published a day before Canada’s latest counter-tariffs took effect. The Department of Finance Canada said that the measures, covering $27.6 billion in US imports at rates of 15%, 25% and 50%, applied from 00:01 on September 8, 2026.