Congressman Eric Burleson (R-Missouri) talks about President-elect Trump's tariff plans, the Justice Department's withdrawal of Trump's federal election lawsuit, and the bill to repeal the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has objected to President-elect Trump's proposed 25% tariff on Mexican imports and said she would impose her own tariffs on the United States, which could spark a retaliatory trade war between the two countries. suggested that it could lead to. Inflation will also occur.
After taking office, President Trump will issue an executive order on Monday imposing 25% tariffs on all goods imported into the United States from Mexico and Canada, as well as imposing additional tariffs on China due to illegal immigration and illegal drugs. Announced.
President Trump, who will be sworn in as president on January 20, 2025, said in a post on Truth Social that thousands of people are flowing into Mexico and Canada “at levels we have never seen before.” said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested on Tuesday that if President-elect Donald Trump pushes ahead with 25% tariffs on Mexico, Mexico could retaliate with its own tariffs, raising fears of a trade war. . (Emmanuel Rosas/ObturadorMX/Getty Images, left, Allison Robert-Pool/Getty Images, right./Getty Images)
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But Mr. Sheinbaum, who has been in office for about seven weeks, on Tuesday highlighted the number of U.S. automakers based in Mexico and warned that tariffs would cause inflation and job losses in both countries.
“One tariff will follow another until our common business is at risk,” Scheinbaum said in a letter to President Trump read at a news conference and scheduled to be sent later today. Ta.
“What does it mean?'' Mr. Sheinbaum added, stressing that expanding tariffs across the border would hit U.S. automakers with factories in Mexico especially hard, such as General Motors and Ford.
Mexico's automotive industry is the country's most important manufacturing sector, accounting for more than 35% of manufactured goods exports. The main destination for Mexican-made cars is the United States, with up to 79% heading north across the border.
Mexico accounts for nearly 25% of all North American auto production.
“This is unacceptable and will cause inflation and job losses in Mexico and the United States,” Sheinbaum said, according to the Associated Press. “Who will suffer if tariffs go up? General Motors?”
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Migrants cross the banks of the Rio Grande River carrying food and supplies for processing by the Texas Border Patrol El Paso Sector after crossing from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, May 8, 2023. (Photo by: HERIKA MARTINEZ / AFP) (Photo by: HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
She offered to discuss the issue and said she hoped both her administration and the incoming Trump administration could meet soon.
Sheinbaum, Mexico's first female president, added that she would seek a phone call with Trump and write a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that thousands of people are currently arriving in caravans from Mexico and that the flow appears to be “unstoppable.”
“This tariff will remain in effect until we stop drugs, especially fentanyl, and all illegal aliens from invading our country!” he added. “Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to simply resolve this long-simmering problem.”
Dating back to his first administration, President Trump has long urged Mexico to be more proactive in preventing illegal immigration and illegal drugs from entering the United States.
“And until that happens, it's time for them to pay a very dear price!” he wrote.
Sheinbaum said Mexico is helping stem the flow of migrants passing through the country before entering the United States, and President Biden signs executive proclamation significantly limiting the number of people entering the United States. He said the number of migrants at the border has fallen sharply since June.
President-elect Trump announced on Monday that he intends to impose significant tariffs on goods entering the United States from Canada, China and Mexico in response to illegal immigration and drugs crossing the border. (Alison Robert Poole/Getty Images/Getty Images)
There were 101,790 border encounters in September, the lowest number since February 2021, but there are no major signs of a significant increase in numbers since then.
Sheinbaum also noted that Mexican criminal organizations continue to receive guns from the United States, and said the region's common challenges require cooperation, dialogue and mutual understanding.
“We don't produce weapons, we don't consume synthetic drugs. Unfortunately, there are people who are being killed by crimes that cater to your country's needs,” she said.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and lethal in small doses, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and contributing to many drug overdose deaths. Many illegal drugs are laced with fentanyl to make them cheaper and more potent. Some users may not be aware that they are ingesting the substance.
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U.S. officials frequently say that illegal fentanyl is manufactured in Mexico. pioneer in china It is then smuggled across borders by drug cartels.
President Trump also said he would impose a 10% tariff on all Chinese goods imported into the United States, citing “huge amounts” of drugs, particularly fentanyl, being smuggled into the United States.
President Trump said he had spoken with Chinese officials about the flow of fentanyl into the United States, noting that the communist nation had previously promised to put drug dealers involved in the illegal trade to death, but failed to do so. .
Louis Cassano and Adam Shaw of Fox Business and Reuters contributed to this report.
