Scandinavian countries and Canada are at the forefront of a growing international trend in which some consumers are shunning US goods because of President Donald Trump’s decision to place tariffs on a range of products from all over the world.
Several Facebook groups have been set up in recent weeks aimed at organizing boycotts and campaigns. A Swedish group called “Bojkotta varor fran USA” in Swedish, meaning “Boycott goods from the US,” had almost 80,000 members at the time of writing.
It describes its purpose as to “protect democracy, self-determination and security,” and says it hopes boycotts will put pressure on the Trump administration. The use of the American platform Facebook is justified as it is “the best weapon,” it added.
Several similar Canadian groups have started on Facebook, while a French group called “BOYCOTT USA: Achetez Francais et Europeen!” — BOYCOTT USA: Buy French and European! — has over 20,000 members.
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There is limited data available so far to show if such campaigns are having an impact. However, one of the US products with an especially tangible link to the Trump administration is Tesla. The electric car brand is run by Elon Musk, a senior advisor to Trump currently tasked with running the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Donald Trump talked up Tesla at the White House with Elon Musk Image: Getty Images
Tesla sales in Europe plummeted in January according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), dropping 45% from the same period in 2024. Tesla sales in Europe fell throughout 2024, down 13% across the European Union.
Buy Canadian
Sentiment against US goods appears to be particularly strong in Canada. Trump has ploughed ahead with 25% tariffs against Canada despite the countries being long-standing allies and sharing a nearly 9,000-kilometer (5,592-mile) border.
Trump has also repeatedly talked about making Canada the US’s 51st state and has referred to the country’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, as “Governor Trudeau” in an apparently public and intended display of disrespect.
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That has all led to a serious backlash from Canadians. Rising anti-Trump sentiment has seen the Liberal party, previously run by Trudeau and now by incoming prime minister Mark Carney, stage a dramatic recovery in polls. In early 2025, it trailed the Conservative party by 25% but a stunning turnaround now sees it leading many polls.
That mood is increasingly reflected among consumers. Dylan Lobo runs a website called “Made in CA,” which aims to provide an online directory of Canadian-made goods. He told Business Insider magazine that his website had recently seen a major surge in traffic.
“There’s a lot of patriotism right now in this country,” he told the magazine. “There’s a huge sense that Canadians want to support other Canadians.”
Several apps have even emerged such as the Buy Beaver and Maple Scan apps that help shoppers identify US products when shopping.
Many Canadian businesses have also taken action with “Buy Canadian” campaigns. In Ontario, the state’s Liquor Control Board announced it would stop stocking US-made products such as bourbon and wines. The state of New Brunswick says it will take similar action.
Ontario’s governor Doug Ford also ended a CA$100 million ($69 million, €63.3 million) contract with Starlink, the telecommunications company owned by Elon Musk. “Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy,” he said on social media platform X.
European backlash
Some European companies are also taking action against US firms. Denmark’s largest retailer, Salling Group, says it will tag European products in its stores with a black star to help customers identify them.
The company will still sell US products, but its CEO Anders Hagh wrote on LinkedIn the new label is an “extra service for customers who want to buy goods with European brands.”
Meanwhile some companies are taking even more decisive action. Norway’s Haltbakk, which provides oil and fuel to ships, recently said it would stop supplying fuel to US navy ships.
Beyond Europe and Canada, many business leaders are aware of the potential backlash against US products and how it may impact their businesses.
Takeshi Niinami, CEO of Japanese drinks giant Suntory Holdings — which owns brands such as Jim Beam — warned just weeks after Trump returned to the White House that US brands would be targeted by international consumers.
“We laid out the strategic and budget plan for 2025 expecting that American products, including American whiskey, will be less accepted by those countries outside of the US because of first, tariffs and, second, emotion,” he told the Financial Times.
That suggests boycotts and consumer behavior could impact sales for US companies in Canada, Europe and elsewhere, with data released over the coming months likely to be watched closely on both sides of the Atlantic.
A spokesperson for the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), which represents the interests of consumers across Europe, says it doesn’t have a position on the issue of boycotts yet, and was focused on “working out how the tariffs will impact consumers.” In a statement to DW, BEUC also said it is working with US consumer groups on “how to keep the transatlantic cooperation working in the interest of consumers.”
Source: DW
