The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced that the United States will implement reciprocal tariffs for all countries on April 2. Negotiators from Mexico and Canada feel frustrated by the lack of clarity in President Donald Trump's and his team's intentions.
Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, traveled to Washington in February and stated that during his meetings with Trump's advisors, they were unclear about the plans of the U.S. President. Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's Secretary of Economy, indicated that the talks were unproductive due to the lack of definition from the United States.
Despite Mexico's efforts to meet Trump's demands by delivering key drug traffickers and historic fentanyl seizures, dialogue between the two countries has been complicated. Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs of 25% on U.S. products due to the uncertainty generated by Trump's decisions.
After a call between Trump and Trudeau, a pause on tariffs for products under the USMCA was agreed upon until April 2. However, Trump expressed his discontent with Trudeau's efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl at the border. The U.S. President also ignored Mexico's and Canada's attempts at dialogue prior to the tariff announcement.
The call between Trump and Trudeau, which finally took place after several failed attempts, ended in a heated discussion with insults. Despite the tension, a pause on tariffs between the involved countries was agreed upon. President Sheinbaum described the conversation with Trump as respectful, despite the challenges in negotiations.
