President of Mexico Threatens to Impose Tariffs in Response to Trump’s New Proposal

November 27, 2024 TruthUSA

The president-elect announced his intention to swiftly sign an order implementing tariffs on Mexico and Canada in response to issues of illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her willingness to engage in dialogue and collaboration with President-elect Donald Trump following his renewed threat of imposing a 25 percent tariff on goods from both Canada and Mexico due to concerns over illegal immigration and drugs.

Sheinbaum hinted at Mexico’s potential retaliatory tariff against the United States, suggesting a tit-for-tat escalation that could harm businesses in both nations by increasing inflation and leading to job losses.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump consistently vowed to impose a 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports if the country did not comply with his demands regarding curbing illegal immigration. On Nov. 25, he warned Mexico and Canada that tariffs would be swiftly imposed unless they took action against illegal immigrants and drugs crossing their respective borders into the U.S.

As of September, Mexico is the U.S.’s top trade partner, accounting for 15.8 percent of total trade, followed by Canada at 13.9 percent. Mexico, in turn, considers the U.S. its primary trade partner as well.

Sheinbaum also indicated her intention to reach out to Trump and write to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before the president-elect assumes office on Jan. 20, 2025.

During her press conference, the Mexican president questioned the rationale behind imposing tariffs on Mexico.

Sheinbaum raised concerns about the impact of escalating tariffs on U.S. auto companies like Ford and General Motors that have operations in Mexico.

She highlighted Mexico’s efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis in the U.S., the decrease in border migrant apprehensions, and the absence of illegal immigrant caravans at the U.S.-Mexico border.

At one point, she seemed to attribute drug consumption along the U.S.-Mexico border to American demand and accused U.S. companies of manufacturing firearms trafficked into Mexico for use by cartel members.

Sheinbaum stated, “We do not produce weapons, we do not consume synthetic drugs. Unfortunately, we have individuals who are victims of crime driven by demand in your country.”

Trump’s transition team has yet to respond to Sheinbaum’s statements. The Epoch Times reached out for comment on Nov. 25 but received no response at the time of publication.

In his recent social media posts on Truth Social, the president-elect reiterated his threat of imposing tariffs to address illegal immigration, crime, and drug trafficking along the border.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” Trump wrote on the platform. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”

The president-elect emphasized that the border issues could be easily resolved by the neighboring nations.

In another post, Trump stated that China would also face increased tariffs until it curbed the flow of drugs into the U.S. Chinese companies have long been accused of producing precursor chemicals for fentanyl, a dangerous opioid responsible for numerous overdose deaths in the U.S.

A report released over the summer revealed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was subsidizing fentanyl production, which ultimately made its way to the U.S.

In late October, the Department of Justice indicted eight Chinese companies for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl precursors, with U.S. officials accusing them of openly advertising their ability to evade border controls.

Trump indicated that despite numerous discussions with China on fentanyl and drug trafficking, no progress had been made.

“We will be charging China an additional 10 percent Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America” unless the CCP takes action against drug traffickers, he declared.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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