Trump announces 25% tariffs for Canada and Mexico starting next week

US President Donald Trump said he intends to continue implementing his plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican goods from the beginning of next week.

He said this at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, Ukrinform reports citing Politico.

“Tariffs are being introduced on time and on schedule,” Trump said.

He threatened to impose 25 percent duties on the two North American neighbors to force them to make more efforts to stop illegal migrants and fentanyl from entering the United States.

The tariffs were originally scheduled to go into effect on February 4, but Trump postponed them for 30 days after a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

As the new deadline of March 4 approached, a journalist asked Trump if Canada and Mexico had done enough to prevent the tariffs from going into effect. “We’re on track with the tariffs, and it seems to be happening very quickly. We’ve been treated very badly by a lot of countries, not just Canada and Mexico,” Trump replied.

However, according to Politico, it was not entirely clear whether Trump was referring specifically to his threat to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, or more generally to the threat to retaliate against countries around the world, based on the Trump administration’s belief that the United States is being treated “unfairly.” Trump said that these duties could take effect in early April.

In support of the second interpretation, Trump did not mention fentanyl or migration issues in his response, and instead emphasized the need for tariff reciprocity.

But given the ambiguity, Trump’s statement puts pressure on Canada and Mexico to do more to address his concerns, the newspaper notes.

Together, Mexico and Canada import more than $900 billion worth of goods to the United States, including many cars and auto parts, as well as agricultural products. Both countries have said they will retaliate if Trump follows through on his threat.

Tags: Canada, USA, Mexico