Mexico, Canada hits back at US after Trump’s decision to impose tariffs
Updated: Feb 2nd, 2025
In response to former US President Donald Trump’s imposition of a 25% tariff on Mexican imports, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced counter-tariffs on American goods, further escalating trade tensions between the two nations.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced a 25% tariff on $155 billion worth of American goods during a press conference on Saturday. He criticised US tariffs as a violation of the Free Trade Agreement and warned that these measures would have “real consequences for the American people.”
Sheinbaum firmly stated that Mexico would not accept any form of foreign interference. “We outright reject the White House’s baseless claims that the Mexican government is aligned with criminal organisations, as well as any attempt to intervene in our country's affairs,” she declared.
Responding to Trump’s accusations that Mexico has failed to control fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration, Sheinbaum highlighted her government’s extensive anti-drug efforts.
She reported that in just four months, Mexican authorities had seized over 40 tons of illicit drugs, including 20 million doses of fentanyl, and arrested more than 10,000 individuals associated with drug cartels.
Sheinbaum slammed US authorities for their inadequate response to the fentanyl crisis, arguing that the epidemic is largely a domestic issue.
“If US agencies truly wanted to address fentanyl consumption in their country, they could focus on dismantling street-level drug networks, which they fail to do, and disrupting the money laundering operations that finance this illegal trade,” she stated.
Additionally, Sheinbaum pointed to the role of American pharmaceutical companies in fueling the opioid crisis, blaming regulatory shortcomings.
“The synthetic opioid epidemic in the US originates from the indiscriminate prescription of such drugs, authorised by the FDA, as evidenced by legal actions against pharmaceutical firms,” she remarked.
(With inputs from Syndicated feed)
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