Detroit automakers ask White House to be spared from new tariffs

Gabrielle Coppola, Bloomberg News on Feb 20, 2026

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Detroit’s automakers asked the White House to shield them from new tariffs that President Donald Trump vowed to impose after the Supreme Court struck down most of his global duties.

The American Automotive Policy Council, which represents General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Jeep-maker Stellantis NV, sent a letter to Trump’s trade team on Friday seeking to preserve a framework that protects them from paying multiple import taxes on vehicles and parts, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing the private communication.

Automakers are facing billions of dollars in additional costs from Trump’s tariffs, particularly those levied on imported autos and car parts. Those tariffs, as well as levies targeting steel and aluminum, were implemented under a law that gives the president authority to impose import taxes on national security grounds. The duties were unaffected by the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down Trump’s broader import taxes imposed on many countries.

The president signed a pair of directives last April that eased the effect of his tariffs on the automotive industry, in part by preventing multiple levies from piling on top of each other.

The person said the White House hasn’t yet responded to the letter, which was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.

Trump said Friday that he planned to impose a flat 10% levy on foreign goods in the coming days, and that he would order a raft of trade investigations that should allow him to enact more permanent tariffs.