NBC News: The economy of the US cities bordering Canada has collapsed

The economy in the border cities of the United States in the Washington state region is mainly dependent on visiting Canadian tourists, and now it is on the decline, as Canadian citizens boycotted such trips due to the introduction of duties by the American leader Donald Trump. This was reported on April 13 by NBC News with reference to residents of the state.

One of these was the city of Blaine, where Canadians came to buy cheaper gasoline and various products. After the introduction of tariffs, such trips have become unprofitable, and therefore Canadian residents choose to stay at home.

According to Mike Hill, Chevron's gas station manager in Blaine, sales have fallen by 40-50% over the past few months. He added that people stopped coming to the city and there was "just no one around."

Tom Mills, a retired former college teacher in Vancouver, noted that a year ago he visited the United States six times, but after Trump imposed duties, he refused to travel in order not to refuel with foreign gasoline and not to eat in American restaurants.

"I am angry at the Trump administration for their arrogant and oppressive treatment of us. ...It saddens me that many workers and businesses may suffer from our actions, but we will do everything possible to avoid US support," Mills said.

The channel cited data from the Institute for Border Policy Studies at Western Washington University, which indicate that in the first three weeks of March, the flow of cars from Canada, entering the United States through three checkpoints of Whatcom County, decreased by 65 thousand. This is 42% less than in 2024.

On April 7, it was reported that Canada filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over US duties on cars and spare parts. Ottawa argues that the measures are incompatible with Washington's obligations under various provisions of the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. On the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the likelihood of a recession in the United States has increased significantly due to the introduction of tariffs.

On April 2, Donald Trump announced large-scale measures in the field of trade: base tariffs of 10% are introduced for all products supplied to the United States. For the European Union, this figure has been raised to 20%. Later, CNBC, citing the White House, reported that Trump had increased duties on goods from China to 145%, Izvestia reminds.