On Monday night, as we covered at the time, President-elect Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as on China. Trump has been vocal about his support for tariffs, and this announcement for his first day in office was rather specific in that it addressed concerns with "Open Borders" as well as fentanyl. The announcement generated plenty of chatter, and quick responses from Canada and Mexico.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 26, 2024
While there have been reports of Canadian officials expressing frustration over the threat of these "insulting" tariffs, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to have leapt into action to work with Trump, and before he's even taken office.
He stressed on Tuesday that he had "a good call" with Trump and the "intense and effective connections between our two countries." Speaking of "their relationship" between the United States and Canada, Trudeau noted that this "takes a certain amount of working on, and that's what we'll do."
JUST IN: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau says he had a "good" call with Trump after the president-elect vowed to slap 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 26, 2024
The comment comes as Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum also scrambled to contact Trump.
Trudeau not only said the call was good… pic.twitter.com/oVlDp2B8ut
Both sides of the tariffs debate have been citing Sheinbaum's remarks, with the left especially pointing to how the Mexican president has blamed certain issues on the United States.
"Even so, it is clear that we must work together to create a new labor mobility model that is necessary for your country, as well as address the root causes that compel families to leave their homes out of necessity," her statement mentioned at one point. "I am convinced that North America’s economic strength lies in maintaining our trade partnership. This allows us to remain competitive against other economic blocs. For this reason, I believe that dialogue is the best path to understanding, peace, and prosperity for our nations. I hope our teams can meet soon to continue building joint solutions," Sheinbaum's statement concluded, on a somewhat hopeful note.
Trump has criticized North American Free Trade Agreement as "perhaps the worst trade deal ever made," especially when it's affected American jobs, and went on to bring about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Touché https://t.co/yKYCbOYSrr
— Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) November 26, 2024
Here's the full statement:
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) November 26, 2024
Mexico City, November 26, 2024
Dear President-elect Donald Trump,
I am writing to you regarding your statement on Monday, November 25, concerning migration, fentanyl trafficking, and tariffs.
You may not be aware that Mexico has developed a…
Coverage from the Associated Press also speaks to potential retaliation from Mexico. As the report mentioned when it comes to reaction from President Claudia Sheinbaum:
MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested Tuesday that Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% import duties on Mexican goods if the country doesn’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants across the border.
Sheinbaum said she was willing to engage in talks on the issues, but said drugs were a U.S. problem.
“One tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses,” Sheinbaum said, referring to U.S. automakers that have plants on both sides of the border.
However, even the AP acknowledged that Mexico's plan hasn't been working so well. However, Mexico’s efforts to fight drugs like the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl — which is manufactured by Mexican cartels using chemicals imported from China — have weakened in the last year," the report also mentioned.
The report also highlighted remarks from Sheinbaum that many on the right have been pointing to Sheinbaum noting, "I think we are going to reach an agreement."
A CBS News/YouGov poll, which was released on Sunday, shows that by 52-48 percent, Americans support tariffs.
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