The remarks made by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum follow a phone conversation she had with President-elect Donald Trump about tariffs and migration.
After meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to impose high tariffs to curb illegal immigration, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has ruled out a trade war with the United States.
“There will not be a potential tariff war,” Sheinbaum, who has been rushing to avoid proposed 25 percent tariffs on Mexican goods, stated Thursday at a daily news conference.
She was talking a day after she spoke with Trump on the phone, who has threatened to impose tariffs on China and Canada in addition to Mexico due to drug trafficking and irregular immigration.
Following their conversation, Sheinbaum and Trump gave varying explanations of their immigration-related conversations.
The left-wing president of Mexico, according to Trump, “agreed to stop migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
Later, Sheinbaum contradicted Trump’s version once more on Thursday, claiming to have discussed an existing policy.
“I can assure you… that we would never — we would not be capable — of proposing that we were going to close the border,” she stated, before adding: “Of course, we do not agree with that.”
She claimed to have reassured the Republican leader that a group of migrants who had gathered in southern Mexico, about which Trump had voiced concerns, “will not reach the northern border,” citing Mexico’s “strategy” to stop such groups from passing through its borders.
After that, she added, the danger of tariff increases had shifted out of the discussions.
Approximately 400,000 jobs in the United States could be lost if Trump fulfills his promise, Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard warned on Wednesday.
Trump’s planned higher tariffs on all commodities imported into the United States could cost Mexico, Canada, and China about $266 billion in tax revenue. This figure does not account for trade disruptions or retaliatory actions by other nations.
The invasion of fentanyl
Sheinbaum wrote on X on Wednesday that she and Trump also talked about “the campaign we are conducting in the country to prevent the consumption of fentanyl” and “strengthening collaboration on security issues.”
Trump’s announcement on Monday that he would put 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada and 10% on goods from China sparked alarm among some of the largest US trading partners.
He charged them with failing to stop the “invasion” of drugs, “particularly fentanyl,” and undocumented migrants into the United States.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that fentanyl was the primary cause of over 108,000 drug overdose deaths in the US in 2023.
Sheinbaum stated on Thursday that her government and Trump’s transition team would have more discussions before to his inauguration on January 20.
