'In the works': Trump hasn’t actually signed paperwork for 50 percent tariff on Canadian steel

11 March

U.S. President Donald Trump's push for aggressive new tariffs against Canada is turning into an all-out trade war with one of the United States' closest allies.

After Trump moved ahead with plans for a 25 percent tariff on all goods imported into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a 25 percent tariff on U.S. goods imported into his country.

On Tuesday, March 11, tensions between the U.S. and Canada intensified with the threat of a 50 percent tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum.

In a March 11 post on X, formerly Twitter, CNBC's Megan Cassella reported, "President Trump has NOT yet signed formal paperwork to officially lift tariffs to 50 percent on Canadian steel and aluminum, I’m told — a senior admin official tells me it is 'in the works.' This remains a threat, rather than an action, until that paperwork is prepared and signed."

On CNBC the same day, Cassella shed more light on threatened 50 percent tariff, explaining, "I was just talking with a senior administration official who told me that there are no calls scheduled today between President Trump and any Canadian counterparts. He has not yet spoken with the new Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney. They do expect, though, the White House tells me, for Canada to reach out to the White House sometime today. But clearly, putting the onus there, saying that there are no conversations scheduled. And they do expect Canada to reach out."

The CNBC reporter went on to stress that according to her White House source, "there has not yet been any formal paperwork signed."

"This person, this official told me that it was in the works," Cassella reported. "They were not sure when it would be ready, when it would be signed. But that's important here, guys, because this remains a threat until the president signs something to either amend or supersede the executive order that said 25 percent tariffs rather than 50."

Cassella continued, "And then, I also just asked the White House whether this was considered a disproportionate response. I asked sort of what prompted this, and they told me that the Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who you guys were just speaking with, that the president saw what he was doing on electricity and felt that that was an aggressive move that required a response. That was when I said: 'Is this viewed as disproportionate, given that 50 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum will have major impacts throughout U.S. industry and U.S. manufacturing?' What I was told was that the president was looking to be aggressive here — that he wanted to really lay down the gauntlet and show Canada what they were messing with, so to speak."

Watch the full video below or at this link.

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