CUYAHOGA FALLS — As the deadline loomed for elevated tariffs being imposed on the U.S.'s biggest trading partners, tire dealers, manufacturers, trade groups and analysts tried to figure out what was happening and what the tariffs might mean.
On Feb. 1, President Donald Trump made good on his threat to levy 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on China. The sole exception to those blanket tariffs — energy imports from Canada would only be subject to a 10% rate.
Trump said the tariffs were necessary because Canada, Mexico and China had contributed to a national emergency of illegal immigration and the smuggling of drugs, particularly fentanyl. Trump also has touted tariffs as a way to boost domestic manufacturing, although he acknowledged they may cause short-term pain.
Canada responded by saying it would impose 25% tariffs on $106 billion in U.S. goods, including tires, and Mexico vowed retaliation without giving specifics. China said it would challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization and take "countermeasures" but was otherwise vague.
Then, less than 24 hours before the Feb. 4 effective date, Trump said he would pause tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month after each country agreed to upgrade its border security.
China said it would challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization and later placed a 15% tariff on U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas, and a 10% tariff on crude oil, farm equipment and some trucks and large cars. It also put export controls on materials such as tungsten and said it would investigate Google and potentially sanction two other U.S. companies.
But uncertainty lingers.