Washington – After a week of threats, President Donald Trump declared Friday that now “there is a good chance” the U. S. will strike a…
Washington – After a week of threats, President Donald Trump declared Friday that now “there is a good chance” the U. S. will strike a deal with Mexico to avert the tariffs he had scheduled for Monday to force the U. S. ally to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United States.
“If we are able to make the deal with Mexico, & there is a good chance that we will, they will begin purchasing Farm & Agricultural products at very high levels, starting immediately,” Trump tweeted from aboard Air Force One as he flew home from Europe. “If we are unable to make the deal, Mexico will begin paying Tariffs at the 5% level on Monday!
The tweet marked a change in tone from earlier Friday, when his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders had told reporters in Ireland before Trump took off: “Our position has not changed. The tariffs are going forward as of Monday.”
U. S. and Mexican officials were holding a third day of talks at the U. S. State Department Friday trying to hash out a deal that would satisfy Trump’s demand that Mexico dramatically increase its efforts to crack down on migrants. Sanders had said earlier that the two sides had “made a lot of progress” but not enough.
The initial 5% tax on all Mexican goods, which would increase every month up to 25%, could ultimately have enormous economic implications for both countries. Americans bought $378 billion worth of Mexican imports last year, led by cars and auto parts. Many members of Trump’s Republican Party and business allies have urged him to reconsider – or at least postpone actually implementing the tariffs as talks continue – citing the potential harm to American consumers and manufactures.
Trump has nonetheless embraced tariffs as a political tool he can use to force countries to comply with his demands – in this case on his signature issue of immigration.
