Trump softens his stance on trade tariffs

Donald Trump hinted that he could backtrack on imposing a hefty steel tariff if other countries agreed to trade changes. The president said that the tariffs could “come off ” if Canada and Mexico agreed to “fair” changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement. He also dismissed EU and Canadian threats of retaliatory action, saying: “I don’t think you’re going to have a trade war.” Wilbur Ross, his commerce secretary, declined to rule out a change in stance from Mr Trump. Business, page 1