Trump campaigns in Ohio, slaps tariffs on Canada

US President Donald Trump billed his trip to Ohio Thursday as a chance to promote economic recovery, but he quickly pivoted to attacking Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Trump promoted the economic prosperity that much of the nation enjoyed before the coronavirus pandemic and is making the case that he is best suited to rebuild a crippled economy.

But his handling of the outbreak has weakened his bid for a second term, causing Trump to spend time and resources in a state he won easily in 2016 but now could be in danger of slipping away.

In Ohio, Trump signed an executive order requiring that the federal government purchase certain drugs from U.S. manufacturers rather than from foreign companies.

The order would instruct the government to develop a list of “essential” medicines and then buy them and other medical supplies solely from U.S. manufacturers.

The administration has long looked to reduce U.S. dependency on drugs made overseas, particularly in China.

The new order invokes the Defense Production Act to procure essential medicines and other equipment from the United States, but does not stipulate precisely which drugs would fall under the requirements.

In a speech to Whirlpool workers, Trump announced he was reimposing tariffs on Canadian aluminum.

Trump said he signed a proclamation Thursday that will put back in place the 10 per cent tariffs on raw aluminum imports from Canada.

He says "Canada was taking advantage of us, as usual."

Trump touted his record of defending American workers by fighting China, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement and getting Canada to stop mistreating the U.S. dairy industry.

A subset of American metals companies have complained that Canadian aluminum has recently been dumped on the U.S. market.

Canadian aluminum-makers have said they switched production during the COVID-19 pandemic as demand for higher-end products crashed, and the resulting aluminum has been sent to the United States primarily for storage.