President Donald Trump snubbed Canada and announced Thursday that he would push back tariffs on the majority of goods coming from Mexico for another month.
The 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, announced Monday, had briefly sent the stock market into free fall. Trump reneged on tariffs for American automakers on Wednesday and, by Thursday morning, said he was calling off all tariffs for Mexico on products under the North American trade agreement known as USMCA.
Trump said his decision to delay tariffs until April 2 came after a phone call with Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum.
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“I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum,” he posted to Truth Social. “Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl. Thank you to President Sheinbaum for your hard work and cooperation!”
Sheinbaum wrote in a statement of her own that she had “an excellent and respectful call” with Trump. She added they “will continue working together, particularly on issues of migration and security, which include reducing the illegal crossing of fentanyl into the United States, as well as weapons into Mexico.”
Trump did not say what Mexico needed to do to have the tariffs called off indefinitely, nor did he make mention of Canada or its prime minister, Justin Trudeau, whom he has clashed with since returning to office.
Trudeau has said his goal is to have “all tariffs removed,” adding Thursday he was still “having discussions” about possibly delaying a second wave of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.
Trump and Trudeau spoke by phone Wednesday, with Trump writing that Canada’s efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl across the northern border were “not good enough” for him to halt tariffs.
The president added their call ended in a “somewhat friendly manner,” though he still referred to the U.S. ally’s leader as “Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada” as recently as Wednesday.
