Trump delays rates for most Mexican goods after call with Sheinbaum

The chaos that surrounds Donald Trump’s tariff policy continues. Two days after announcing a 25% imports for imports from Mexico and CanadaThe US president posted on Truth Social that, “after talking to President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico,” he agreed that “Mexico will not be obliged to pay fares for nothing that falls in the USMCA agreement” and that the new extension will last until April 2.

This last delay, which effectively affects all the trade between Mexico and the United States (despite the reference to the free exchange agreement, which Canada also signed), was decided, Trump wrote: “As an accommodation and respect for President Sheinbaum.” He added: “Our relationship was a very good one and we work hard together on the border, both in terms of stopping illegal strangers to enter the United States and stop the fentanyl. Thank you to President Sheinbaum, for your hard work and cooperation ”

In the morning, the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, said in a television interview that the taxes for all the goods covered by USMCA – the free exchange agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada, signed by Trump in 2020 – would be postponed for a month. This last face marks a significant change in the aggressive commercial strategy of the new American administration. However, Trump’s message did not mention whether Canada was affected by this new tariff exemption.

The change of politics came while Sheinbaum was waiting for a call with Trump, following a potential armistice in the commercial war lit by Washington earlier this week in the North -American region. Mexico and Canada, two long-term allies and major trading partners of the United States, were disturbed by Trump’s tariff ad-Decision that was poorly received by markets.

Wednesday Trump reversed the course again, granting a One month’s milling imposed on Canada and Mexico. This move came after companies raised concerns about the administration’s damage irregular decisions could cause the car sector and the wider industry in North America.

“It is likely that this (Trump’s new announcement) will cover all the goods and services that respect USMCA, so what is part of President Trump with Canada and Mexico, is likely to get an exemption from these rates,” Lutnick told CNBC. “The answer is one month.”

According to Lutnick, the American trade in goods and services at USMCA totaled about $ 1.8 trillion in 2022.

Both Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have provided a one -month morality on tariffs, with promises to control irregular immigration and fentanil traffic. Finally, these efforts were not sufficient.

In response to the announcement on Tuesday and the inability to quench Trump’s tariff anger, the Mexican president threatened “tariff and non-Tarife measures” against the United States. “No one wins with this decision,” sheinbaum said at the press conference. “There is no reason to justify these actions,” she added. In order to emphasize her resolution, Sheinbaum asked a mobilization in the Zócalo Square in Mexico City on Sunday, a place used historically for important national events, to show that she had the support of people. This call was default depending on the possible results of Thursday with Trump.

Trump’s announcement marked the end of four weeks of intense diplomatic efforts of Washington Mexican officials, aiming to extend the one-month delay that the US president granted Sheinbaum on February 3. On that day, Sheinbaum held a 45-minute tense conversation with Trump, mediated by an interpreter, based on his English skills, registered during his period, at the University of California. According to diplomatic sources, Sheinbaum considered the conversation a success in her strategy to quench Trump. Trump, from his part, called Sheinbaum “a woman who I really like.”

Mexico was hired to strengthen the border with another 10,000 additional soldiers, and this weeks, the Mexican authorities arrested hundreds of people related to drug trafficking, confiscating significant amounts of drugs, including fentanel. However, no gesture was as significant as teaching 29 prisoners to the United States, all involved in drugs. Among them was Rafael Caro Quintero, the founder of the Guadalajara cartel, desired in the US for abduction, torture and killing of agent Da Kiki Camarena.

However, none of these efforts was enough. Despite Sheinbaum’s confidence in her strategy of avoiding the tariff blow, she had hoped for another phone call with Trump at the weekend, but never materialized. Mexico’s offer, made by the secretary of the economy Marcelo Ebrard to the American homologue Howard Lutnick, to match Mexico’s rates on China, with Beijing American rates also fell.

Rates for Mexico, Canada and China are just the beginning of a Commercial war that the United States hopes to reduce its commercial deficit (the difference between what they import and exports). In 2024, the US imported goods worth $ 3.29 trillion and exported $ 2.08 trillion, resulting in a record commercial deficit of $ 1,212 trillion. Of the total imports of goods, 41% – about 1.35 trillion dollars – came from Mexico, Canada and China, and these three countries represented almost half of the commercial imbalance for the largest economy in the world.

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