25% tariffs: What will Canada and Mexico do?

Donald Trump, who is currently preparing for his imminent arrival in the White House in January 2025, has designated two new targets as part of his election campaign promise to impose tariffs on goods imported into the US via other countries.

Justin Trudeau now turns his attention to Canada and Mexico, both of which he accuses of being migrant sieves.

Donald Trump announced on his social network, Truth Social, that he plans to impose a 25% tariff on products imported from Mexico and Canada.

He presented this proposal as a measure to combat the fentanyl crisis in the United States.

Trump claims that his decision to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada, the United States’ two main trading partners accounting for almost 30% of the country’s trade volume, is motivated by the fight against illegal immigration.

According to Trump, the measure is also intended to combat crime and drugs crossing the border.

Trump claims in his post that all products from his border partners will be taxed because of “open borders”, which he deems “ridiculous”.

He adds that these tariffs will remain in place as long as drugs, naming “fentanyl” in particular, as well as “all illegal immigrants”, stop “this invasion”.

Recall that these tariffs contravene an agreement between the three countries negotiated by Trump himself, namely the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), which was renegotiated during Donald Trump’s first term and came into force in July 2020.

The trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico covers several important sectors.

Among these, dairy products, paper products, wood building materials and the automotive industry will be particularly affected by Trump’s decisions.

Mexico, under the leadership of Claudia Sheinbaum, has already stated its intention to stand firm and not bend in the face of Donald Trump’s attitude and threats.

Justin Trudeau, for his part, has already demonstrated his openness to negotiation, even making a surprise personal visit to Mar-A-Lago to meet the President-elect.