The Trump administration plans to lift 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods critical to Maine’s agricultural industry less than two weeks before Election Day, while also imposing new duties on other imports.

The move, announced Friday, hands Republican Sen. Susan Collins a political boost as she fights to retain her seat in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation exempting certain Canadian products, including seaweed, packaging materials, plywood, refrigeration equipment and agricultural machinery, from the steep tariffs.

While the exemptions, set to take effect Oct. 30, ease some trade restrictions, the proclamation also imposes 50% tariffs on other Canadian imports, including certain cocoa powders, carpets and floor coverings.

Trump’s latest ease on tariffs marks another shift in his administration’s contentious trade relationship with Canada. The president has repeatedly imposed and modified tariffs on Canadian imports, prompting concerns among U.S. businesses and lawmakers about rising costs and disruptions to cross-border trade.

Tensions between Trump and the U.S.’ northern neighbor appeared to reach a boiling point earlier this year after Trump announced a round of tariffs of up to 50% on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney threatened to match those tariffs “dollar for dollar.” Days later, Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario, which forms part of the U.S.-Canada border, “Lake America” in the U.S.

Collins, who has sought tariff relief for Maine businesses amid Trump’s escalating trade tensions with Canada, celebrated the exemptions Friday, saying she had repeatedly pressed senior administration officials to ease the financial burden on farmers and growers.

“I am pleased to have secured additional tariff exemptions [for] products crucial to Maine’s agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers,” Collins wrote on X.

The senator said she had raised the issue in repeated conversations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other administration officials. She also pledged to continue seeking additional exemptions and a broader trade agreement with Canada, which she described as Maine’s “largest trading partner.”

The announcement comes as Collins faces a competitive re-election challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.

Collins has sought to distance herself from some of Trump’s policies, particularly his tariffs on Canada, while emphasizing her ability to secure concessions from his administration for Maine residents.

The tariff relief gives Collins a tangible policy achievement to highlight in the final days before the Nov. 3 election, as voters remain concerned about rising costs and the economy.

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Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola on Friday blasted the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying the results of its Senate race under certain circumstances, calling it a “desperate attempt to silence Alaskans.”

“This is exactly the kind of corruption that Alaskans are sick and tired of,” Peltola told MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace. “This is clearly a very desperate attempt to cling to power, using his allies in Washington, D.C., to rig the system even further.”

The remarks came after President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice filed an extraordinary preemptive lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying the Senate election results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Peltola by a narrow margin.

The lawsuit centers on another candidate named Daniel Sullivan, a retired teacher who shares the incumbent senator’s name. The administration argues that the presence of both candidates on the ballot could confuse voters and potentially affect the outcome of the election.

Trump said Friday that he directed the Justice Department to pursue the lawsuit, an unusual intervention in a Senate contest that could help determine control of the chamber. The legal challenge comes as polling averages show Peltola narrowly leading Sullivan with 11 days until Election Day. Peltola holds a 2-point lead over Sullivan, 49.7% to 47.7%, in MS NOW polling partner FiftyPlusOne’s weighted average.

Sen. Lisa Murkowsi, Alaska’s Republican senator who frequently bucks Trump, also blasted the lawsuit on Friday night.

“Alaskans don’t need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year’s ballot,” Murkowski said on X. “The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit.”

In her interview with Wallace, Peltola rejected the suggestion that voters could mistake the two candidates, noting that the ballot identifies the incumbent senator.

“It is not playing well with Alaskans at all, and it’s sending a message that Dan Sullivan does not believe that Alaskans are sophisticated enough to know exactly who they’re voting for,” she said.

Peltola also argued that the lawsuit was an effort to distract voters from affordability concerns and Sullivan’s record.

“It’s such a distraction,” she said. “The only thing Alaskans want to talk about right now is affordability and the high cost of living, and just the concerns about making it through this upcoming winter, being able to afford to heat your home and feed your family.”

The Alaska Supreme Court has already considered the question of whether the other Daniel Sullivan could appear on the ballot, ordering the state’s Division of Elections in June to include his name on the primary ballot.

Asked whether she was confident that a win would ultimately be certified, Peltola said she is “worried about the level of desperation,” adding that she hoped for a decisive enough margin to avoid a prolonged dispute.

Peltola said her campaign had set a $60 million fundraising goal even before the prospect of costly litigation over the election results, citing the high cost of advertising and reaching voters across Alaska’s remote communities.

“We are worried about the implications of the cost of a legal battle,” she said.

She also warned that intervention from Washington could backfire in a state where voters prize their independence.

“Alaskans know exactly who they’re voting for,” Peltola said. “We have safe and secure elections, and this is just more distraction, more diversion and another red herring.”

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