The Trump administration has temporarily put off a decision to label imported cars and car parts a threat to national security — which would have paved the way for Washington to impose new tariffs on the auto sector — after top US officials expressed scepticism about the plan.
Donald Trump’s top advisers on international trade met on Tuesday afternoon at the White House to discuss potential car levies, as fears of a new escalation in US protectionism against key allies gripped diplomats and business groups in Washington.
Although the US president had recently seemed determined to press ahead with the threatened tariffs on foreign cars and car parts, some senior officials within the administration balked at the plan, putting it on ice for the next few weeks at least.