Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ordered retaliatory tariffs on Saturday in response to the U.S. decision to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican goods.
This was reported by Reuters, citing a post by the Mexican leader on social media platform X.
"Mexico does not seek confrontation. We begin with cooperation between neighboring countries. Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but anywhere else. To this end, I propose to President Trump the creation of a working group with our best health and security teams. Problems are not solved by imposing tariffs but through conversation and dialogue, as we have done in recent weeks with your State Department to address migration issues while respecting human rights," Claudia Sheinbaum wrote.
The Mexican president instructed the Ministry of Economy to prepare countermeasures under Plan "B," which, according to her, includes both tariff and non-tariff measures in response to Trump's actions.
She also rejected White House claims that drug cartels are allied with the Mexican government – a narrative the Trump administration has used to justify the tariffs. Trump stated that the tariffs against Mexico were tied to the country’s failure to stop the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the U.S. and what he described as uncontrolled migration.
According to Reuters sources, Mexico is preparing possible retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports ranging from 5% to 20% on pork, cheese, fresh produce, industrial steel, and aluminum. The automotive industry will initially be exempt from tariffs, the unnamed sources added.
Background. Earlier, Mind reported that U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada due to the "extraordinary threat posed by illegal foreigners and drugs."