Trump has signed a record number of executive orders since taking office again, and he has implemented significant policy changes, such as reforming immigration and passport laws. His administration has also raised import duties on major trading partners, imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese goods and a 25% tax on Canadian and Mexican imports. It should come as no surprise that officials from China, Mexico, and Canada have strongly opposed these measures. Prior to the tariff announcement on Saturday, February 1, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “We’re ready with a response—a purposeful, forceful, but reasonable and immediate response.”
“We have Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, depending on what the U.S. government decides,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at a press conference on Friday, January 31. “The Mexican people must understand that we will always protect our sovereignty, defend our dignity, and communicate as equals—without subordination,” she said.
By Saturday evening, Mexico and Canada had both released counter-tariffs that specifically targeted Trump’s executive orders. Canada declared that $155 billion worth of American goods would be subject to a 25% levy. “This will have real consequences for you, the American people,” Trudeau reaffirmed in his statement on Saturday. He also said that the White House’s policies are dividing rather than uniting the country.
Sheinbaum, meantime, ordered her economic minister to take immediate action to safeguard Mexico’s interests on Twitter. She also denounced as unfounded the White House’s charges that the Mexican government is associated with criminal groups. “If the U.S. government truly wanted to address the fentanyl crisis within its borders, it would crack down on drug sales in its major cities and curb the money laundering that fuels this illicit trade—issues they have failed to address,” Sheinbaum remarked.