Trump says Canada trade deal will come soon as tariff dispute persists

A forecast of a quick deal

Speaking at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, 25 October, President Donald Trump said a trade agreement with Canada would come soon. The border town was the stop where he backed Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections on 3 November. He told the crowd that Canada was willing to meet US demands, and he repeated his accusation that Ottawa has been taking advantage of the United States in trade.

He said the matter would be settled quickly, in these words:

“We'll have that settled pretty soon. They're willing to give us anything at this moment.”

Trump also defended the tariffs as necessary and said he had to impose them. He gave no date for an agreement, saying only that it would come pretty soon.

How the dispute escalated

Relations soured in late August, when talks between the two countries failed to prevent a planned surtax of $20 billion on Canadian products, including cement, wine and hockey sticks. Canada answered by imposing tariffs on a similar value of American imports. Trump responded with new tariffs of up to 50% on certain goods, and the tariffs imposed after the collapse of the talks now cover goods worth $20 billion. Trump has repeatedly accused Canada of ripping off the United States, and he has reshaped the global trade order since starting his second term by placing tariffs on both allies and rivals. Mark Carney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A partial rollback before the midterms

On Friday, 23 October, the White House removed some products from the list of Canadian goods subject to the 50% tariffs, responding to a request from Senator Susan Collins of Maine. Collins, a Republican, is in a close race for re-election, with polls showing a near tie against her Democratic rival. Maine borders Canada and has been hit by the trade war. In Michigan, Republican Congressman Mike Rogers is running in a tight race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and has tried to distance himself from the president's tariff policy on autos. Rogers credited the tariffs with securing manufacturing investments from Chevrolet and Detroit Diesel, then said:

“the automobile portion of these Canadian tariffs worries me a little bit”

Local impact and business complaint

On Tuesday, 20 October, a US company that imports food products filed a complaint against the surtaxes, arguing they amounted to an abuse of power that causes immediate damage to American companies, their suppliers and customers. Trump won the Port Huron border region in the 2024 presidential election with more than 66% of the vote, but the local economy has felt the effects of the standoff, including in the Detroit-based US auto industry. The tariff dispute therefore carries costs in the district that Trump visited to campaign for Republicans.