It’s unclear whether Mexico and Canada played a role in President Donald Trump’s tariff war, but it appears they did – at least temporarily.
Trump boasts that Mexico and Canada agreed to his 25% tariff following a tense standoff with America’s largest trading partners.
At least for the time being, Mexico and Canada have outwitted Trump by beefing up border security with measures that are already in place or that are simple to implement.
Mexico and Canada made Trump think he won
I like how Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau twisted Trump’s ego into backing down for 30 days. They clearly figured out that he despises bad press and even more so spooking the stock market.
All of this, no doubt, contributed to Trump agreeing Monday to postpone imposing a 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods unless those countries stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigration, which are merely a pretext for Trump’s larger goal.
Mexico agreed to send 10,000 soldiers to the US-Mexico border, and Canada agreed to strengthen the border with new helicopters, technology, and personnel, including appointing a fentanyl czar, designating cartels as terrorists, and forming a joint strike force to combat organized crime.
A big win for Trump? Sure, let him believe it.
To appease Trump, Canada had already implemented some of those border security measures and added a few more.
And Mexico had already been doing Trump’s dirty work with immigration.
Mexican President Sheinbaum got key concession from Trump
In 2019, then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent thousands of soldiers to Mexico’s southern border to crack down on migrants heading to the United States.
Recently, Mexico began cracking down on migrants and establishing temporary shelters for Trump’s deportees.
Sheinbaum did not appear to find it difficult to deploy 10,000 soldiers to the border. And she seemed content to let Trump perform his victory dance.
“These soldiers will be specifically designed to stop the flow of illegal migrants and fentanyl into our country,” Trump boasted on social media.
Sheinbaum also stated that Trump has agreed to combat the flow of high-powered weapons illegally smuggled into Mexico, which are used by cartels for drug and human trafficking, as well as the terrible violence there.
Trump did not mention it in his social media post, but if it is true, Sheinbaum received a significant concession. Don’t forget that Mexico is suing American gun manufacturers over weapons smuggled into the country.
Trump is only half addressing the fentanyl problem
Trump is not wrong to target fentanyl trafficking, given that the drug has killed tens of thousands of people in the US.
According to CNN, the majority of that fentanyl (96.6%) comes from Mexico, with Canada accounting for only 0.2%. In fiscal 2024, U.S. border authorities say they seized 21,889 pounds of fentanyl, with 43 pounds seized at the Canadian border.
What Trump gets wrong is that he has little interest in combating drug use or demand in the United States. This makes it almost impossible to eradicate drug trafficking and addiction.
The president has the opportunity to address it by aggressively combating weapons smuggling into Mexico and confronting Americans’ drug addiction.
But nope. That requires investing and caring for people on drugs.
Trump isn’t interested in saving them or preventing others from using the deadly drug.
Trump leaves industries vulnerable. That’s wrong.
Trump has larger plans.
He is obsessed with sticking it to Mexico and wants to annex Canada as the 51st state at any cost.
He’s using tariff threats to punish Mexico and, eventually, force Canada to join the United States. (He has stated as much.) All while attempting to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal through any means necessary.
Opinion alerts: Receive columns from your favorite columnists as well as expert analysis on current issues, delivered directly to your device via the USA TODAY app. Do not have the application? It is available for free download from the App Store.
Trump only responds to money and strength, which must have benefited Trudeau. He stood firm and prepared to retaliate with a 25% tariff on US goods. He rallied his countrymen and women against Trump’s imperialistic actions.
But, make no mistake. This pause is just that.
Trump’s tariff threats jeopardize entire industries, including automakers, restaurants, and beer makers. The same applies to fruit and vegetable farmers, warehouses, and packaging and distribution networks.
Overall, the three countries trade approximately $2 trillion in goods and services each year. Trump should not use it to fulfill his imperialistic fantasies.
Elvia Díaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral, where this column originally published . Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X, (formerly Twitter): @elviadiaz1
You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page , on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter .
