Trump Temporarily Suspends 50% Tariffs on Canada for Three Days Hours Before Implementation

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 18th (local time), just a day before they were set to take effect, that he would temporarily suspend the 50% tariffs on certain Canadian products.

In a post on Truth Social past 10 p.m. Eastern Time that day, President Trump wrote, "I have temporarily suspended the 50% tariff on Canada, which was scheduled to take effect tomorrow morning, for three days," adding, "This is because Canada and the U.S. have reached an agreement pending the finalization of documents."

Had the last-minute negotiations between the two countries fallen through, the new tariffs were scheduled to apply starting at midnight on the 19th.

President Trump declared the suspension with less than two hours remaining before the implementation time.

In a proclamation subsequently posted on the White House website, President Trump stated that he had received commitments from the Canadian side to address U.S. concerns regarding automobiles, alcoholic beverages, and dairy products.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement afterward, "While important tasks still need to be addressed, significant progress has been made."

However, the two governments have not disclosed further details, Reuters reported.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) also did not reveal specific details, stating that the agreement "includes comprehensive market access for all U.S. products, economic security commitments, digital trade coordination, and other factors."

Previously, President Trump announced last month that he would impose a 50% tariff on certain Canadian imports, claiming that Canada engaged in trade discrimination in the automotive, alcohol, and dairy industries.

The targeted items include certain dairy products, alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine, hockey equipment, machinery, textiles, wood products, cement, and furniture.

The USTR estimated that the annual exports of the targeted items to the U.S. amount to approximately 20 billion dollars.

This accounts for about 5% of Canada's total annual exports to the U.S.

In particular, the tariffs were set to apply even to products receiving preferential treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

However, key resources imported by the U.S. from Canada, such as oil and minerals, were originally structured not to be subject to the Section 338 tariffs.

President Trump cited Section 338 of the Tariff Act, enacted in 1930 during the Great Depression.

That provision allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 50% on countries judged to discriminate against U.S. commercial activities.

Negotiating teams from both countries have engaged in intensive closed-door negotiations over the past few weeks.

Prime Minister Carney reportedly held back-to-back phone calls with President Trump for two consecutive days in an effort to persuade him.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.