Biden Calls on Trump to Rethink Tariffs on Canada and Mexico

November 28, 2024 TruthUSA

President Joe Biden expressed his belief that President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on close allies is counterproductive.

President Joe Biden stated on Thursday that he hopes President-elect Donald Trump will reconsider imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, emphasizing that such tariffs would harm America’s relationship with its neighboring allies.

“I hope he rethinks it. I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do,” Biden told reporters on Nov. 28 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

During a Thanksgiving day visit to a fire department in Nantucket, Biden highlighted geopolitical factors in urging Trump to reconsider the tariffs against Canada and Mexico.

“We have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada,” Biden said. “The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships. I think we’ve got them in a good place.”

Acknowledging that more needs to be done regarding illegal immigration, Biden mentioned improvements in border security, with a considerable decline in illegal crossings compared to when Trump was in office.

Trump announced his intention to issue executive orders that would impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, citing concerns about fentanyl and illegal immigration. Additional tariffs on China were also pledged by Trump, pointing to Beijing’s failure to stop the trafficking of Chinese-made fentanyl.

Officials from China, Canada, and Mexico warned that Trump’s proposed tariffs could lead to economic harm.

Canada’s public safety minister pledged additional measures to strengthen border security and combat cross-border drug trafficking. Trump stated that Mexico’s president promised to prevent illegal immigrants from reaching the southern border. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from China’s embassy in Washington denied allegations of knowingly allowing fentanyl into the United States, as reported by the BBC.

Recent statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicate a decrease in the number of illegal border crossings, with 144,666 total encounters recorded in September 2024, nearing the numbers from May 2019, the peak month of illegal border crossings during the Trump administration.

However, overall figures show a higher total number of enforcement encounters during Biden’s term compared to Trump’s, with estimates suggesting over 20 million illegal immigrants entered the U.S. in the past four years.

During his presidency, Trump leveraged tariffs as a negotiating tool to push for trade deal renegotiations. These tactics led to trade deals with China and the USMCA with Canada and Mexico.

Many of Trump’s associates believe that President-elect Biden’s tariff threats are part of a strategy to align other countries with his policy goals, including preventing illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

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