Trump grants tariff exemption at request of Big Three automakers in North America

By Canadian Press on March 5, 2025.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s granted a one-month tariff exemption for any vehicles coming through the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the Big Three automakers — Stellantis, Ford and General Motors — asked for an exemption to the tariffs when they spoke to Trump.

Leavitt says reciprocal tariffs will still go into effect April 2 but the president is granting a month-long exemption so those automakers are not placed “at an economic disadvantage.”

Trump also spoke this afternoon with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about trade and fentanyl.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump says Trudeau “called me to ask what could be done about tariffs” and Trump insisted the actions Canada has taken to curb the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. are not good enough.

He ended his post by falsely claiming Trudeau was trying to use the tariff issue to stay in power as prime minister.

Trudeau is set to step down after the Liberals choose a new leader on Sunday.

Trump says he told Trudeau that he largely caused the problems because of his “weak border policies.”

The call ended “in a somewhat friendly manner,” Trump says.

A senior Canadian government official speaking on background says Vice President J.D. Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were also on the 50-minute call, and that the two sides will be in close contact today.

— Written by Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington and Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2025.

The Canadian Press