El-Sayed Calls Trump's Pre-Midterms Canada Tariff Trim an Arbitrary Gambit

El-Sayed Calls Trump's Pre-Midterms Canada Tariff Trim an Arbitrary Gambit

A Detroit broadside timed to early voting

Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed used an October 24 rally in Detroit, headlined with former President Barack Obama, to brand President Donald Trump's partial rollback of Canada tariffs as proof the trade war was arbitrary all along. The timing, El-Sayed said, exposes desperation to lift Republican candidates in the midterms rather than genuine concern for Michigan families. It was Obama's first public endorsement of El-Sayed, delivered on the first day of in-person early voting in Michigan.

Plywood off the list, carpets and valves on it

Trump signed the proclamation on Friday, October 23, under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, further modifying the 50% duties announced July 20 and revised September 8. Out go plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery, refrigeration equipment, packing crates and boxes, and plastic packaging; in come certain valves, carpets, waste products, cocoa powder, shampoos and soaps, and vinyl flooring. The annex removes 22 tariff classifications. The changes apply to goods entered for consumption from 12:01 a.m. ET on October 30, four days before the November 3 vote.

The White House case: less burden, same grievance

The White House fact sheet says the retuning offsets the burden on U.S. commerce while better serving the public interest. It accuses Canada of walking away from a near-final trade deal in the summer and hitting about $20 billion of U.S. exports with retaliatory tariffs on September 8, after which Trump signed five Section 338 proclamations banning certain Canadian motor vehicles, dairy products and alcoholic beverages and adjusting the July 20 tariff scope.

Michigan's auto economy sits in the crossfire

Michigan, and its auto industry in particular, depends heavily on Canada. A separate threatened 50% tariff on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts and steel starting in January hangs over the state. Canada has matched Washington move for move: counter-tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% on C$27.6 billion of U.S. goods from September 8, concentrated on steel, dairy, appliances, farm equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics, plus a C$7.5 billion support package for affected workers and businesses. A New Jersey food importer has sued, arguing Section 338 has not previously been used to impose tariffs in its 96-year history. Investors barely blinked: the iShares MSCI Canada ETF fell 0.41% to close at $60.69.

A toss-up race where tariffs are already on the ballot

El-Sayed faces former congressman Mike Rogers, endorsed by Trump and defeated by Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin by less than half a percentage point in 2024. The Cook Political Report rates the rematch a toss-up; a mid-October Marist poll put El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48%, within the margin of error, with the RealClearPolitics average showing El-Sayed ahead by about 2.6 points. Rogers has tried to have it both ways, crediting tariffs with drawing manufacturing investment from Chevrolet and Detroit Diesel into Michigan while distancing himself from the Canada auto levies. Trump campaigns in Port Huron on Sunday. If elected, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim and first Egyptian American in the U.S. Senate.