Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick signaled a possible agreement between the Trump administration and leaders of Canada and Mexico that could see some of the tariffs imposed on both nations rolled back.
Canada and Mexico, two of the United States’ biggest trading partners, have imposed retaliatory tariffs following those imposed by President Donald Trump that went into effect Tuesday. Trump said the increases were in response to both countries not doing enough to curb the flow of illegal immigration and illicit drugs across their borders with the U.S.
“He’s really looking carefully at that trying to figure out if there is a way in there that he can come in the middle, where he can give the Canadians and Mexicans something, but they have to got do more,” he told Kudlow. “They’ve got to end fentanyl death. You can’t just say it’s OK that people can die. That is just not a thing.”
“It’s not gonna be a pause. None of that pause stuff. But I think he’s going to figure out, you do more, and I’ll meet you in the middle someway,” he added. “We’re going to probably be announcing that today. So somewhere in the middle will likely be the outcome — the president moving with the Canadians and Mexicans but not all the way,” he added.
“Both the Mexicans and the Canadians were on the phone with me all day yesterday trying to show that they’ll do better, and the president is listening because you know he’s very, very fair and very reasonable,” Lutnick said. “So I think he’s going to work something out with them.”