The Trump administration’s combative approach to Canada appears to be softening slightly, just days before the midterm elections in the U.S., where tariff-fueled inflation is a primary concern for voters.

Trade talks with Washington have seen a “slight intensification” in recent days, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday.

President Donald Trump, likewise, seemed to back off some of his angrier rhetoric over the weekend, when he told reporters a potential trade deal with Canada would be “settled pretty soon.”

“They’re willing to give us anything at this moment,” Trump added.

Carney, however, said the opposite. “To the extent any progress has been made, it’s because the U.S. is coming closer to our position,” he told reporters in Ottawa.

Ever since advanced trade talks collapsed in August , the Trump administration has slapped 50% tariffs on hundreds of categories of Canadian imports.…