President Donald Trump eased off his threat to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border, instead giving Mexico a “one-year warning” and threatening to first impose auto tariffs before closing the border.

“The only thing frankly better, but less drastic than closing the border, is to tariff the cars coming in,” he told reporters at the White House on Thursday. "We're going to give them a one-year warning and if the drugs don't stop or largely stop, we'll put tariffs on Mexico and products, in particular cars.”

Trump’s shift comes days after he said he would close the border as soon as this week if Mexican leaders were unable to stem the flow of migrants crossing into the U.S.

A former restaurant industry executive, he became famous for a simplified tax plan, known as Nine-Nine-Nine. His candidacy unraveled over complaints that he sexually harassed multiple women, as well as a series of gaffes in which he struggled to answer questions on foreign policy.

Cain in September launched a super PAC aimed at supporting Trump’s agenda ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.