Trump backs off threat to Canada

The US president had previously announced plans to hit Canadian steel and aluminum exports with a 50% tax

US President Donald Trump has reversed course on plans to double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, a senior White House adviser said Tuesday in an interview with CNBC.

Earlier in the day, Trump had vowed to raise tariffs on Canadian metal exports to 50%, calling it retaliation for Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on electricity exports to Michigan, New York, and Minnesota. Ford’s move, in turn, was a response to Trump’s initial 25% duty on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Trump hinted at a possible reversal Tuesday afternoon, and later, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro confirmed the decision on CNBC. He specified that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “did a beautiful job” by persuading Ford to suspend the electricity tariffs during a phone call, which also led to a commitment to resume trade talks.

In a joint statement after the call, Ford and Lutnick described their discussion as “productive” and emphasized the importance of US-Canada economic ties. They also announced plans to meet in Washington on Thursday to negotiate a renewed trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico ahead of Trump’s April 2 tariff deadline.

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Meanwhile, White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement that the initially announced 25% tariff on steel and aluminum “with no exceptions or exemptions” would take effect for Canada and all other trading partners on March 12, pursuant to Trump’s previous executive orders.

In February, Trump announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, prompting Ottawa to retaliate with its own import taxes on certain US products. However, the US president has since postponed the measure twice, most recently delaying its implementation until April 2.