WASHINGTON—On Thursday afternoon, less than 48 hours before President Trump was scheduled to slap tariffs on Canada and Mexico, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles got on a call with representatives from nervous automotive companies.

       The administration, the firms were told, was considering a carve-out for cars that comply with Trump’s North American free-trade deal—the main request of domestic automakers—according to people familiar with the call. The automakers came away feeling better about their chances of avoiding tariffs, the people said.

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