Ford and other automakers ask Trump to exempt tariffs

White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said on the 5th that US President Trump decided to give Ford and other three major automakers a one-month tariff exemption, exempting them from the 25% import tariff on auto products imported from Mexico and Canada through the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Levitt said at a press conference that when Trump talked with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis Motors, the three companies requested tariff exemptions, and Trump promised to give them a one-month tariff exemption. “We talked to the three major automakers and we will give a one-month exemption for auto products imported through the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The reciprocal tariffs will still take effect on April 2.”

The US media said that Trump’s move was “a temporary relief measure provided after calls from industry leaders.”

Trump signed an executive order on February 1 to impose a 25% tariff on products imported from Mexico and Canada. On February 3, Trump announced that the tariff increase measures on the two countries would be suspended for 30 days and negotiations would continue. According to this decision, the relevant tariff increase measures took effect on March 4.

In a speech to both houses of Congress on the evening of the 4th, Trump said that the tariff policy “may have some small disturbances”, but the United States can accept it and “the impact will not be great.” Although Trump downplayed the impact of tariffs, all sectors of the United States are deeply concerned about the damage that tariffs may bring to the US economy.