US and Canada Reach Last-Minute Deal to Delay 50% Tariffs

President Trump announced on Tuesday, August 19, 2026, that the United States and Canada had reached a last-minute agreement to pause new 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian imports. The tariffs, which had been set to take effect around a midnight deadline, would have affected goods including hockey sticks, building materials, clothing, and dairy products. Trump made the announcement via his social media platform, and multiple outlets reported the two sides were in the process of finalizing documents related to the arrangement. In the days before the announcement, US and Canadian officials held talks aimed at averting the tariffs, described by several outlets as a race against the clock ahead of the deadline. Trump characterized the arrangement as a pause of the tariffs for three days while negotiations continued, rather than a final resolution. The move was reported as buying additional time for both sides to continue negotiating rather than settling the underlying trade dispute. As of the reporting, the tariff pause remained temporary, and the terms of any broader deal had not been finalized. It is unresolved what specific concessions, if any, Canada offered in exchange for the pause, and what would happen if a comprehensive agreement is not reached within the three-day window. The episode was reported as adding a further point of tension to relations between the two allied countries amid an ongoing pattern of tariff threats and negotiations.