White House Reassesses Auto Tariffs as It Focuses on China Fight

The fun part here is that it is obviously possible that a car import may threaten the national security of the US. So Trump and his gang are afraid that e.g. a VW Beetle will bring down the powerful US of A? That does not sound like a trade issue any more but more of a medical problem. And speaking as a resident of a country that has huge import taxes on cars, such taxation levels will not deter a single buyer. The only change will be that people will buy luxury cars from abroad where price doen't matter. But on the other end of the business, US cars will not sell at all in foreign countries. Right now they are technologically and qualitywise way inferior to most products you get from Europe, Japan or Korea, even China to some extent, and the only reason why they sell at all in e.g. Europe is that they are usually cheaper than the competition. If they will be taxed in return at a higher rate as a retaliation, these cars will not sell at all. What Trump is doing is basically restricting US car manufacturers to the home market. And no agreement between e.g. the EU and the US will lead to higher sales of US cars in the EU. Customers will not buy inferior products because their government has signed some kind of agreement with the US. And yes, I know that European and Japanese car makers produce in the US and sell in EU, but that will change as soon as the tariffs are in place. The US has lost the race about high tech products a long time ago. Not just in the car industry.

Meanwhile, Mnumchinninin’s dad just paid 91 million for a piece of artwork. These people are so far out of touch from what their bad decisions are costing the average American.

I am at a loss to see why either Canada or Mexico (or for that matter China and Iran) would even be tempted to sign anything with this administration. The paper it's written on will be worth as much as the Native American Treaties Trump's hero Jackson honored so well. At the first sign of House Democrats actually receiving any of the various documents currently requested, Trump will simply renege on any agreements as another political distraction.

Starting trade disputes with ALL of your major trading partners at the same time seems more than a little foolish to me. This despite the fact that there is certainly a need for a rebalancing of our trade relations with China. Moreover, adopting "bend to our will or else" as the primary negotiating tactic is rather absurd. It's the sort of stance the host of a reality television show about a hard charging business tycoon would take. And for the trifecta, the brain genius at the top of this operation thinks that the tariffs are paid by the other countries' governments and businesses directly to the United States Treasury. And apparently no amount of evidence to the contrary will convince him otherwise. This may all be dragged out until 2020, and cooler heads might prevail. But there's also a good likelihood that this ain't gonna end well.

“It’s critical to the credibility of our global trade agenda,” Mr. Grassley told reporters on Tuesday. Hahaha! Good one Chucky. Credibility? You ain't got none. Nada. Zippo. The world is sick and tired of the improvisation and incompetence of this administration and its republican enablers.

In the spirit of constructive criticism, it wouldn't hurt for the NYT coverage to give its readers figures for the annual cross-border trade among the three North American partners. Such statistics seem always to figure in reports on the China-US trade. It doesn't hurt to remind readers of how much business actually flows among the NAFTA partners.

The so-called potus who lost to Clinton by 3,000,000 votes says tariffs are good. If they are, then why won't he place them on European cars? Golly, do you think he may have lied when he said they were good?

Trump is gonna need helpers when Europe turns its back. NATO is toast. Trudeau is in a hard spot and it’s happening fast.

the inference seems to be that canada and mexico are NOT existential threats to the existence of poor, pitiful, helpless and unarmed united states of hysteria?!

Who can believe anything that this administration "leaks" anymore?

Removing the tariffs is a basic. Also waiting for an apology.

I continue to wonder where the materials to build all of "individual one's' hotels and resorts came from. He talks a big game regarding America first, but it sure would be nice to know if he saved money buy getting his materials from say places like China, steel etc. I also would like to know where he purchased the majority of his hotels and resorts furnishing's. I just don't know if you can buy good rugs made here, and I know for certain that the majority of his televisions were most likely made in China.

So the Trump Administration is close to a deal with Mexico & Canada? I thought that the deal was done already, Oct. 3, 2018 The NY Times reported "The United States, Mexico and Canada finalized a new trade agreement Sunday" (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/reader-center/canadian-reactions-nafta-changes-usmca.html?searchResultPosition=1). Which is it, and why keep reporting the same thing over and over. This administration is run by Imbeciles, they whisper and hint, and report to congress, just how close they are to new trade deals, or peace deals, and nothing ever comes of it. And there is a simple reason, Mnuchin, or Kushner, or Trump, have no idea how to close a deal. They are business men not diplomats. They think in terms of dominating the competition across the table. I ask would you let you country be dominated by a foreign power, no I think not. Please Impeach these fools, they are doing real and permanent harm to the USA and its reputation.

Why should we believe anything these guys say?

Trump never has had a friend his whole life. Seems he wants the US to follow the same course internationally. Not wise. Does he think Canada and Mexico and Europe and.... will soon forget nasty bullying from the US? And when his fraudulent Iran war starts? B.

Further and further down the rabbit hole. We've known (since the mid-1700's) that tariffs and other restraints of trade are counterproductive (should I say dumb?). Trump and his band of advisers apparently don't know and/or don't care about economics, international relations, strategy, cooperation, winning, surviving, and hosts of other basic requirements for running any government. Witness Bolton's desire for a war on Iran, the administration's intent to turn China into an active foe of U.S. business - including agriculture - and the myriad plans to offend NATO, the WTO, and on. Watch FOX and friends laud this idiocy and the strength of their "man." What hogwash!

An agreement with Mexico? Is this the agreement that includes money to build the border wall? That must have come up? I bet Mnuchin told them in his real tuff guy way, pay for the wall or it's going to get higher....right?

“I think we’re close to an understanding with Mexico and Canada,” Mr. Mnuchin said. “I can assure you it is a priority of ours.” I really waiting for this criminal to be locked up.

"Mr. Mnuchin reiterated on Wednesday that China had recently retreated from commitments that it made in trade negotiations with the United States." Why would we believe this from an administration that lies every time it opens it's mouth. Remember the boy who cried wolf--We do!

"It is unclear what terms the three countries are close to settling on." Gaining clarity among the trade of nations is building with wax

Mr. Trump has been hesitant to relent because of his belief that the health of America’s steel and aluminum sectors was too important to give in. And up here in Canada we were almost beginning to believe we were a real national security threat and haven't had reason to feel so powerful since burning down the White House in the war of 1812 to 14, or more like doing the same thing once again.

I wonder if this is just a distraction from the China/US trade issues where there doesn't seem to be any good news. I also wonder how the deal will keep in place the higher prices for metals that our metal producers want and that our metal users can't do anything about. Quotas to keep prices high would work, but some may not understand the advantage of protecting some businesses and hurting others.

Maybe the glimmer of a good idea - but glimmers are soon extinguished by random tweets. The only other good idea I've heard of from this administration is the blockade of Huawei products in United States telecommunications systems and insistence that we will not share intelligence with partners using Huawei components. This last idea is, by the way, not new. Buy America used to be a standard. Government contractors were barred from doing business with certain foreign computer and manufacturing companies because they sold the USSR American metal working technologies allowing the Soviets to craft "quieter" propulsion systems. And Germany has made the decision to start using typewriter ink and paper only for its classified information, i.e., no transmission over any telecom system. But Trump may go back on this last (and only) good idea. After all, Huawei may make him an offer for more pocket liners.

Um right. It's always just about to happen or it went really well despite the fact that nothing happened.

so much for the US retreating from the world stage, looks like Trump regime and Kusher-Miller advisory team are stirring up trouble on every front. Sooner or later the world may turn on US deciding it isn't worth the trouble, the other 7.5 billion are easier to deal with.

then what was even the point in the first place?

So Mnuchin said that Trump told his advisors to 'find a solution to the matter.' Find a solution? This is a Trump made problem. He imposed tariffs with the stroke of a pen. He can just as easily remove them. He can even use the same pen.

Mnuchin was optimistic about China a couple of weeks ago too! We all know how that what worked out. I'd be expecting the same thing this time around as well. Trump, after all, gets the last word.

The trade deal is near till Trump tweets otherwise!.

Good. Now Canada and Mexico can pursue a WTO ruling to seek compensatory damages for Trump's little "tariff fit".

The US needs to get cheap steel and aluminum from some where, now that he started a trade war with China. If there are other tariffs between the US/Canada/Mexico, they should eb lifted, too. The US needs Canada and Mexico more than Canada and Mexico need the US. If I were the Canadian or Mexican government I would be demanding much more from Trump; including admitting he was wrong for damaging relations between the North American trading partners. Thing is, Trump is too much of a coward to admit eh was wrong.

Awesome! More trade, um, "agreements" that are (almost done)(right around the corner)(just about there)(really, really close) announced by the Munchkin, just in time to prop the stock market up for another hundred points or so. Next up: Larry Kuddles telling everyone about all the "good, good vibrations" in the room. Kinda like a Beach Boys concert without the musical talent. That'll be worth another 100 points on the Dow. Sure seems like we've seen this act before...... Geez, I wonder if, um, "substantial differences remain".....

How many times has Mnuchin said a deal is near on this and other deals to mislead the markets about the consequences of Trump's erratic, belligerent protectionism? Trump and his administration officials lie with impunity. They defy accountability and Congressional oversight as it suits them. They break the law and file frivolous lawsuits to stall for political gain. Isn't it about time we start asking why we should believe anything they say?

Yes if we are going into a long difficult fight with China, it would be a good idea not to antagonize all our other trading partners - and China's. There is no way we can win a trade war with China if the rest of the world doesn't back us up. Yes China provoked this latest flare by backtracking. They would not have done so if they didn't think they would be able to win this in the long run. In contrast to US they have some very smart people running their policy. China would not have allowed this flare unless they knew how to win it. Our moron in Chief and his army of incompetents are planning on China to fold now or when we triple down - with no idea what to do if that doesn't happen.

I'm rather confused by this whole nationality based approach to trade. It seems blaming China for the fact that almost every US Manufacturing and Technology company wanted the fatter profits from operating in a cheap labor / no labor rights area is where the problem really lays. Your IPhone isn't made in America and that's not really the fault of the Chinese. It certainly did enhance shareholder return on investment, share price and dividends for one of the worlds richest corporations. Another smart move was setting up a shell corporation in Ireland that routes 60% of Apple profits, from sales in Europe, to a place where this Ameriican Corporation doesn't have to pay US taxes. Maybe the Irish need Tariffs.

Everything is a "priority" in the Trump administration; therefore nothing is a priority. Why would anyone believe a word this man utters? Just a few days ago he opined that the "deal" with China, of which no one has seen any details whatsoever, was basically ready to sign. It is all just disinformation. Wake me when it's over.

@Holly This is not about tariffs. Trump and Mnuchin and anyone close to them are making a fortune off of manipulating the stock market. And it is a crime. Is anyone listening?

Nice to know our neighbor might no longer consider us a security threat.

Trump 101; create a problem where there was none.Claim that problem is fixed because of Trump."Winning". Congress will never pass it as it is. Go back to the previous treaty that Trump trashed. Trump is a failure and weak. Ray Sipe

Once US authorities ratify the revised trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and the US, tariffs imposed by the US and mentioned in this article are removed without any requirement that the US remove other, similar tariffs placed on other WTO members. The United States can then decide which similar tariffs may be imposed on other WTO parties without tripping over the WTO.

About time. Trump's "security" rationale was garbage from the start. Obtaining these metals from Canada literally is a security hedge against obtaining them from elsewhere given that Canada is essentially a permanent ally by dint of history, people and geography. Plus you can't just make more aluminum smelters pop out of the ground anywhere -- they have to be where there is transport, inexpensive land and inexpensive electricity for processing the bauxite. They are where they are, and the biggest North American smelter production is in Quebec. All the tariffs did was raise costs for minimal increased US output. The main Canadian Forces airbase in eastern Canada was originally built for the RCAF and USAF to protect the aluminum smelters nearby during WWII. To claim "security" as a reason to slap tariffs on an ally whom you had a free trade agreement with for 30 years was not only illogical but insulting. Canadians have been furious ever since. Not a smart move when the US needs every ally it can get in its global economic struggle against China. Ending these tariffs would go a long way to repairing important relationships.

As a Canadian, this tempered optimism is welcomed. However, it will be a very long time before we forget. These steel and aluminum tariffs were imposed under the guise of a “security threat”. For Trump to use a longtime ally this way to score political points was/is unconscionable.

Saner views on this difficult issue. I really do wonder whether the US administration sees this as a matter to be addressed only now that the China trade tensions have ratcheted up. Kudos to Sen. Grassley and those like him for standing up to honoring trade agreements and respecting one's allies.