Trump Administration Eases 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods Before U.S. Midterms

Tariff exemptions before midterms

The Trump administration lifted some of its 50% tariffs on Canadian goods two weeks before the U.S. midterm elections, with the White House saying that from 30 October tariffs would be eased on products including "plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment". The White House said the action reflected President Donald Trump's "continued efforts to defend American workers and ensure fair trade," while the administration also said it would introduce tariffs on other items such as carpets and "waste products".

Republican Senator Susan Collins said she had repeatedly asked senior Trump officials for tariff relief and wrote on X that the exemptions were on products crucial to Maine's agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Canadian tariffs were "necessary to protect our workers," and Dominic LeBlanc said, "While we assess these latest steps, Canada stands ready to work constructively and in good faith towards a more mutually beneficial trading relationship that respects Canada's interests."

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Campaign pressure and competing claims

Barack Obama mocked the Trump administration's tariff regime at a Cleveland rally for Democratic candidates in Ohio, saying, "These are the people who gave us maple syrup and Martin Short.… They're the nicest people," and asking, "he's picking a fight with them?"

Troy Jackson said the tariff exemptions did not change the underlying impact, telling voters, "Trump's trade wars have made life harder and more expensive for Mainers. Susan Collins enabled this chaos, voted to confirm the people behind it and now wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put out the fire."

The White House said the proclamation removed certain products from the list of items slapped with 50% tariffs using a 96-year-old trade law, while it also said it was "replacing those products with certain valves, carpets, waste products, and others".

The CNBC account said the changes would take effect Oct. 30, four days before the Nov. 3 election, and it quoted White House spokesman Matthew Middleton saying the administration was acting to "address Canada's discriminatory treatment of U.S. commerce."

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What changes, what remains at risk

The BBC said the U.S. imposed a 50% levy on $20bn (£15bn) worth of Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries collapsed in August, and it said Canada responded with countermeasures. The Guardian said the exemptions applied to nine agricultural products, including blueberries, potatoes, apples and seaweed, and it quoted the White House saying, "President Trump is further refining the scope of the July 20 and September 8 actions" to offset the burden from Canada's discriminatory measures.

The Guardian also quoted Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate finance committee, calling the move a "desperate, 11th hour attempt to save Susan Collins' political career" and saying, "The only way to get Trump to reverse course" was for Americans to send a message that his sabotage of the American economy must go. The BBC said the midterm elections would determine whether Trump's Republican Party or Democrats would control Congress, and it framed the tariff changes as arriving less than a fortnight before that vote.

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