NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has remained open-minded as he determines final details of his promised tariffs on steel and aluminum, a top administration official said on Wednesday [3-7-18].
The White House said an announcement is still on track for this week… Despite fears from US allies and Washington Republicans that the measure could spark a trade war, Ross insisted the President’s goal wasn’t to drive the economy into chaos… He referred specifically to Trump’s willingness to exclude Canada and Mexico from the tariffs as part of ongoing negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump spoke with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, and the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner traveled to Mexico City for talks on Wednesday.
Trump hastily announced the steel tariffs last week during a meeting with industry executives, sending his aides into a scramble to fully vet the legality of the tariffs and finalize the language… After Trump’s announcement, a bitter dispute ensued inside the West Wing, pitting advisers like Ross and trade adviser Peter Navarro against Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council. Cohn had attempted to bring auto and beverage industry representatives — end users of steel — to the White House to lobby against the tariff. But his resistance angered Trump and Cohn announced his resignation on Tuesday.
Ross’ comments make clear that the efforts to soften the tariffs may not be over, despite Cohn’s departure.”
-Kevin Liptak, “Commerce secretary says Trump is flexible on tariffs,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Mar. 7, 2018 10:28am