Scrambling Trump eyes surprise reversal to rescue Susan Collins: report

President Donald Trump is expected to lift some tariffs on Canadian goods to help Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and other Republicans in the midterms, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday in an exclusive.

The changes could come as soon as Friday and would likely eliminate 50% tariffs on certain agricultural and forestry products, people familiar with the plans told the newspaper. They cautioned that the timing and scope could change.

Collins welcomed the move in a statement after the report, listing nine types of goods that would be spared, among them some farm machinery, refrigeration equipment and packaging.

“I have asked for tariff relief for these important products and stressed the burdens additional costs impose on Maine businesses and families,” Collins said. “I will continue working directly with Administration officials to seek additional relief from tariffs and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally, and largest trading partner.”

But there could also be a catch. The administration may raise tariffs on other Canadian products to offset the relief, as it did last month when it lifted tariffs on road salt and cement, the Journal reported.

Collins took credit for that earlier exemption on the campaign trail, but her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, shot back during a debate that Mainers “can’t eat road salt.”

Collins, who has broken with Trump on tariffs, is locked in a tight reelection battle against Jackson, whose campaign has hammered her over Trump’s trade war with Canada.

The move could also help Republicans in other trade-heavy states, including former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan and former Sen. John Sununu in New Hampshire, both of whom have criticized Trump’s Canada tariffs, the Journal reported.

The 50% tariffs, which hit roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods, took effect in late August when last-ditch trade negotiations collapsed.

A White House official called preliminary reporting speculation and said tariff announcements would come from the administration.