- Trump says the tariffs will be removed if illegal immigration and drug trafficking stop.
- “There will be no potential tariff war,” says Mexican President Sheinbaum.
- The Republican reaffirms his determination to use trade as a cudgel against allies and competitors alike.
Nantucket: President Joe Biden on Thursday warned against damaging relations with Canada and Mexico, after Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the two U.S. neighbors when he takes office in January.
“I think this is counterproductive,” Biden told reporters when asked about his successor’s plan.
“The last thing we need to do is start ruining those relationships,” he said during a visit to the fire department in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he is spending the recent Thanksgiving holiday. “I think we’ve put them in a good place.” president.
Trump rattled global markets on Monday when he announced on social media that one of his first presidential actions would be to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada — which share a free trade agreement with the United States — and add a 10% tariff. On China.
He pledged that tariffs on US neighbors would only be lifted when illegal immigration and drug smuggling stop, and reaffirmed his determination to use trade as a cudgel against allies and competitors alike.
After expressing her opposition to Trump’s threats in a letter, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke by phone with the Republican president-elect on Wednesday.
Both leaders described the call favorably, although there was disagreement about what was actually discussed.
Trump claimed that Sheinbaum agreed to “stop immigration through Mexico and into the United States, effectively closing our southern border.”
The Mexican president quickly pointed out that she was only explaining Mexico’s current “comprehensive strategy” on migration.
“Thanks to this, migrants and convoys are taken care of before they reach the border,” she said on the X programme.
She added, “We repeat that Mexico’s position is not to close the border, but rather to build bridges between the government and the people.”
Asked about the dispute at her daily news conference on Thursday, Sheinbaum said: “I can assure you… that we will never suggest — and we will never be able to — suggest that we will close the border.”
The Mexican government had warned that Trump’s tariffs would be met with retaliation, which could put American jobs at risk, with Sheinbaum’s economy minister saying it would be a “kick in the foot.”
Sheinbaum said Thursday that after her talks with Trump, “there will be no potential tariff war.”
“The important thing is to address the approach he took,” she said, adding that she believed the dialogue with Trump would be constructive.
Biden on Thursday also spoke about the importance of maintaining a working relationship with China.
“We have established a hotline between me and President Xi, as well as between our military, a direct line,” Biden said, adding that he was “confident” that his Chinese counterpart “does not want to make a mistake.”
“I’m not saying he’s our best friend, but he understands what’s at stake.”