The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on Monday that he had a "very good" phone call with the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, but was critical of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. During a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump expressed his discontent with Canada's trade policies, claiming that the country is very tough and tries to take advantage of the United States.
Trump emphasized that he maintains a good relationship with Sheinbaum and announced that as a result of their conversation, they agreed to postpone a 25 percent tariff on Mexico for one month. However, regarding Canada, Trump was more critical and mentioned that there are still outstanding issues to address with Trudeau, clarifying that although they had a "good conversation," they needed to discuss more in a later call.
Regarding the agreements reached to pause the tariffs, it was revealed that the decision was made during a call before a press conference in which Sheinbaum would participate. The Mexican leader explained that thanks to the agreement, they avoided presenting a Plan B that involved tariff measures against the United States due to the imposition of taxes on Mexican exports.
Among the points agreed upon between Sheinbaum and Trump are the reinforcement of Mexico's northern border with 10,000 National Guard members to combat drug trafficking to the U.S., measures to prevent high-powered weapon trafficking to Mexico, as well as joint efforts in security and trade between both countries. This pause in tariffs on Mexico starting February 3 implies a mutual commitment in various areas of interest for both nations.
On its part, Canada responded to Trump's policies by imposing tariffs on U.S. products valued at up to $155 billion, including beer, wine, bourbon, fruit juices, and appliances. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed the importance of maintaining a friendly and collaborative relationship between the two countries despite trade tensions.
