President-elect Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to announce his plan to impose massive tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada on day one until they stop sending illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S.
Within 24 hours, left-wing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican Claudia Sheinbaum conceded to President Trump’s demands.
[RELATED: Biden Levies China Tariffs He Ridiculed Trump Over…]
Trump’s leverage over the other North American nations is significant. In 2023, $439.6 billion in Canadian exports went to the U.S., compared with just $21.6 billion to the second largest importer, China. For Mexico, the numbers are similar, with the U.S. accounting for 84 percent of all Mexican imports.
Trump had criticized Canada and Mexico for failing to prevent illegal immigrants and drug smugglers from illegally crossing their borders into the U.S.
“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. This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem,” said Trump on Truth Social.
He promised to impose a blanket 25 percent tariff on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico until both nations use their own legal powers to prevent people from illegally crossing from their countries into the U.S.
Mexican President Sheinbaum quickly responded to Trump’s threat, claiming that Mexico has already successfully reduced the number of people crossing into the U.S. illegally from their land.
She also denied Trump’s claim that a thousands strong caravan of illegal immigrants is about to cross into the U.S. from Mexico.
“Migrant caravans no longer reach the border,” said President Sheinbaum.
She claimed that Mexico is doing its part to fight the fentanyl crisis, but tried to shift the blame for the disaster onto the U.S., asserting that its demand for the drug was a greater problem than the smuggling.
“[The fentanyl crisis is] fundamentally a public health and consumption issue within your society,” said Sheinbaum.
The Mexican president’s finger-pointing elided the fact that Mexico’s northern border territory has become a cartel-controlled narco-terrorist state, where transnational criminal organizations manufacturer synthetic opioids and traffic them into the U.S.
Sheinbaum called for further dialogue with the U.S. government but warned Trump that his tariffs could prompt a trade war between the U.S. and Mexico, threatening retaliatory tariffs from her country if Trump’s plan goes into effect.
“Any tariffs imposed by one side would likely prompt retaliatory tariffs, leading to risks for joint enterprises,” she said.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau reportedly spoke with Trump over the phone after his tariff threat.
Sources told CTV News that Trudeau reminded Trump that far more illegal immigrants cross into the U.S. from Mexico than from Canada.
He also reportedly informed Trump that efforts are already underway to stem the flow of fentanyl from Canada.
Trudeau reportedly did not directly address the tariffs, but informed Trump that Canada was an essential part of U.S. energy infrastructure, providing 60 percent of its crude oil imports in 2023.
That comment likely served to remind Trump that high tariffs on Canada could ultimately harm the U.S. as well, without directly threatening a tariff war, as Sheinbaum’s did.
Trump also threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on all Chinese goods, to be added to any existing tariffs, until Chinese-originated fentanyl stops crossing into the U.S.
In addition to shipping Chinese-made fentanyl into the U.S., the Chinese Communist Party has also provided Mexican criminal organizations with chemical precursors and pill-making equipment to manufacturer the drugs along the southern border.
“Drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before. Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America,” said Trump.
A congressional report on the Chinese Communist Party published in October accused China of deliberately funneling fentanyl into the U.S. with the help of Latin American nations in an attempt to weaken America.
[RELATED: House Oversight: Biden-Harris Unprepared for Chinese Communist Party’s “Unrestricted Warfare”…]
Trump pointed out that although China previously promised to impose the death penalty for any of its citizens caught smuggling fentanyl into the U.S., it has done nothing, and the problem has only grown.
Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C., responded to Trump’s threat.
“Regarding the issue of US tariffs on China, China believes that China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature,” he said. “No one will win a trade war or a tariff war.”
He also completely denied any Chinese involvement in the trafficking of fentanyl into the U.S.
bully pulpit in action
Seems everyone forgets when Trump imposed tariffs on China in his first term. It cost us 10s of BILLIONS of payments to farmers in lost business. That was our tax dollars and added to our national debt. Corporate farmers survived but small family farmers went under.
Dad’s back in town..
The Mexicans and Canadians will now be held accountable . WE call the shots now . The BS on our borders will rapidly come to a halt . Good !
You’re dreaming if you actually believe Mexico and Canada are bending the knee to Trump and his gang. We will try diplomacy first, which I personally think is a waste of time . After all, how can you negotiate with people who lack critical thinking skills because their brains have been sorely deprived of oxygen because they are all squashed the crowded interior of Trump’s backside. They haven’t a clue what diplomacy is or even what tariffs are.But, then again, It is a shame that the American education system has produced so many Americans who are so lacking in knowledge about the world that they actually think they can take on the whole world and everyone is just going going to let them. Time to give your heads out of your backsides and give those head sa good shake. Hopefully the brains will start fuctioning properly again. the brains will start working again..