Trump drops some Canada tariffs in bid to boost embattled Susan Collins in Maine

Key points

• Trump dropped tariffs on nine Canadian agricultural products and some processing equipment, the White House said Friday.
• Susan Collins, facing a tight Maine re-election race, announced the exemptions for products including blueberries and potatoes.
• Democrats called the move a political attempt to save Collins, while Canada's PM said US tariffs hurt both countries.

Donald Trump dropped some US tariffs on Canada on Friday, the White House said, in a move that benefits Susan Collins, the Republican senator for Maine, as she faces a close re-election campaign. Collins announced that exemptions would apply to nine agricultural products, including blueberries, potatoes, apples and seaweed.

The White House said the change was made to "better serve the public interest" and to ensure the measures continue to offset the burden on US commerce from Canada's discriminatory measures. It also said certain processing equipment, such as plywood sheets, packing boxes, paper products and some machinery, would be removed from the tariffs.

Collins cites farmers' needs

Collins said many Maine farmers rely on specialized equipment and materials from Canada that are "unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense". She wrote that in repeated conversations with Ambassador Greer, Secretary Lutnick and other senior officials, she had asked for tariff relief for these products and would continue seeking additional relief and a broader trade agreement with Canada.

Collins, who has served in the Senate for nearly 30 years, is running against Democrat Troy Jackson, a former logger who has served in the Maine state senate. The race is considered a toss-up and is crucial to Democratic hopes of flipping control of Congress.

US tariffs have upended a trade bargain that's existed for decades

— Mark Carney

Trade war and reactions

Maine relies heavily on commerce with Canada, and industries such as logging, lobstering and fishing were expected to be hit by Trump's tariff announcements this year. After Trump placed a 50% tariff on certain Canadian goods starting 22 August, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs of 15% to 50% on $20bn worth of American goods, later withdrawing tariffs on American seafood.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said US tariffs hurt households in both countries and that auto exports to the US had fallen 10%, while US exports to Canada had fallen more than 20%. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden called the tariff move a "desperate, 11th hour attempt to save Susan Collins' political career".