Trump Predicts a Quick End to the Canada Tariff Fight After Easing Some Duties

President Trump said on Sunday, on a campaign trip to Port Huron, Michigan, for a rally, that the trade dispute with Canada would be resolved soon, offering no details but signaling a possible thaw in a fight that has rattled businesses on both sides of the border.

The remarks came two days after Mr. Trump signed an order on Friday removing some of the 50 percent tariffs he had imposed on Canadian goods. Reuters reported that the order covered certain Canadian agricultural and forestry products, a change that could help businesses in Maine. The Associated Press reported that Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine had pressed the administration to ease duties on Canadian goods that farmers and other businesses rely on.

Relations between the two countries soured over the summer. The countries appeared close to an agreement in August, but Canada rejected Washington’s terms, which Prime Minister Mark Carney said crossed Canadian red lines. Mr. Trump then imposed 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, according to the AP, and Canada retaliated.

Mr. Carney has struck a more cautious note. He said there had been a slight intensification of talks but that Canada’s negotiating position had not changed, and he argued that whatever progress had been made reflected the United States moving toward Canada’s position. The office of Dominic LeBlanc, the Canadian minister responsible for trade with the United States, said the two governments remained in constructive dialogue, according to both news organizations.

Reuters, in a report republished by Yahoo Finance and citing two American and four Canadian sources, said that the countries are working on a deal to ease tariffs on Canadian steel and autos imposed under Section 232 of United States trade law, including duties of up to 50 percent on steel and 25 percent on autos. The sources cautioned that Washington still wants more concessions and that any agreement could be narrow, Reuters reported. The paper could not independently confirm that report. The White House and the Commerce Department did not immediately comment to Reuters.

The timing is political as well as economic. The midterm elections are on Nov. 3, and tariffs on Canada have become an issue in several competitive races. The AP noted that Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, has run an ad calling for an end to the tariff war.

Supporters of the administration’s approach argue that the tariffs have given Washington leverage to win better terms for American manufacturers, particularly in the auto sector, which Mr. Trump wants to shift south of the border. Skeptics note that the two sides seemed close once before, only to see talks collapse, and that Mr. Trump has given shifting timelines, telling FOX 2 Detroit on Sunday that a deal might take months.

For now, the Friday order offers modest relief to some importers while the larger steel and auto questions remain open.