Sheinbaum prioritizes USMCA deal as tariff deadline nears: Monday’s mañanera recapped

United States President Donald Trump said Monday that his planned 25% tariffs connected each Mexican and Canadian exports to the U.S. “are going up connected time, connected schedule,” meaning the duties would instrumentality effect connected March 4 astatine the decision of a one-month suspension.

“This is an maltreatment that took spot for many, galore years,” Trump said successful justification of the determination to enforce tariffs connected the United States’ neighbors and North American commercialized partners.

“We’re connected clip with the tariffs,” President Donald Trump says erstwhile asked during a associated property league with French President Emmanuel Macron astir the tariffs planned to instrumentality effect connected Canada and Mexico adjacent period https://t.co/bMyOnTKtDn pic.twitter.com/1PqCjNZAH1

— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) February 24, 2025

“And I’m not adjacent blaming the different countries that did this, I blasted our enactment for allowing it to happen. I mean who tin blasted them if they made these large deals with the United States, took vantage of the United States connected manufacturing, connected conscionable astir everything,” he said astatine a associated property conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Earlier connected Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed assurance that Mexico would successful information scope an statement with the United States to stave disconnected Trump’s projected tariffs for a 2nd time.

At her greeting property conference, Sheinbaum besides spoke astir the anticipation of Mexico imposing further tariffs connected imports from countries with which it doesn’t person escaped commercialized agreements, astir notably China.

‘If necessary,’ Sheinbaum volition question telephone with Trump

Trump has said helium plans to enforce 25% tariffs connected imports from Mexico and Canada for three reasons:

• Undocumented migrants person “poured into” the U.S. from Mexico and Canada.
• Large quantities of drugs, including fentanyl, person entered the U.S. from its confederate and bluish neighbors.
• The United States has ample commercialized deficits with Mexico and Canada.

On Monday, Sheinbaum reiterated Mexico’s committedness to “helping the United States” lick the “humanitarian crisis” caused by illicit fentanyl successful the U.S.

On actions to combat cause trafficking and different problems Mexico volition request to scope “important agreements” with the United States this Friday, she said, noting that the tariffs are scheduled to instrumentality effect aboriginal adjacent week.

“If it is indispensable I volition beryllium seeking different telephone telephone with President Trump — immoderate is needed to scope an agreement,” Sheinbaum said.

She noted that Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard traveled to Washington for tariff talks past week, and declared determination is connection betwixt Mexico and the United States “on each issues.”

Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard is successful Washington this week for tariff negotiations. (Marcelo Ebrard/X)

“What we request is to adjacent this agreement” to ward disconnected the tariffs,” said Sheinbaum, who earlier this period achieved a one-month intermission connected the projected duties aft agreeing to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to Mexico’s bluish border.

“… I judge we’re successful a presumption to bash so,” she said.

Ebrard has said that the United States would beryllium shooting itself successful the ft if it imposes a 25% tariff connected Mexican exports, asserting that 400,000 jobs would beryllium mislaid successful the U.S. and prices would emergence for U.S. consumers.

He said earlier this month that 25% tariffs the United States intends to enforce connected each alloy and aluminum imports are illogical and a “bad idea” with respect to Mexico, fixed that the U.S. has a commercialized surplus with Mexico connected the commercialized of those metals. The alloy and aluminum tariffs are scheduled to instrumentality effect connected March 12.

USMCA the priority, says Sheinbaum, and truthful further tariffs connected China are an option 

Sheinbaum noted that an Economy Ministry squad is inactive successful Washington arsenic Mexico seeks to scope a caller woody to halt Trump’s projected tariffs taking effect adjacent week.

“What we’ve established — I’ve said it from the opening — is that the narration and commercialized statement with the United States has to beryllium prioritized,” she said.

After observing the nationalist vacation Flag Day, Sheinbaum discussed her efforts to avert tariffs and the value of the USMCA escaped commercialized deal. (Presidencia)

“And we inquire the United States to prioritize its commercialized statement with Mexico and Canada,” Sheinbaum said.

She said that imposing tariffs connected imports from countries with which Mexico doesn’t person escaped commercialized agreements, specified arsenic China, is an option.

“[Former] president López Obrador adjacent did it, helium put tariffs connected countries with which we don’t person commercialized agreements,” said Sheinbaum, whose medication recently imposed tariffs connected Chinese covering and textiles.

“… With China, for example, we don’t person a commercialized agreement. … So it’s portion of what this [Economy Ministry] radical is moving on,” she said, alluding to further tariffs connected Chinese exports to Mexico.

Bloomberg, citing “people acquainted with the matter,” reported connected Saturday that “the Trump medication told Mexican officials” including Minister Ebrard “that they should enactment their ain duties connected Chinese imports arsenic portion of their efforts to debar tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump.”

However, Sheinbaum said that the implementation of tariffs connected Chinese exports to Mexico wasn’t a “condition” that had been acceptable by the United States.

Implementing tariffs connected countries with which Mexico doesn’t person a escaped commercialized woody — similar China — is an enactment connected the table, Sheinbaum said Monday. (Asipona Manzanillo)

“The contented is to scope an statement that allows america … to warrant that determination are nary tariffs betwixt our countries [and] that the commercialized statement continues,” she said.

“… [We person to] springiness precedence to this commercialized statement and spot however the 3 [USMCA] countries tin fortify ourselves compared to different regions of the world,” Sheinbaum said.

“… In that sense, we’re not suggesting [tariffs] successful peculiar connected China, but alternatively connected those countries with which we don’t person commercialized agreements,” she said.

“It’s thing that I adjacent enactment guardant successful the speech I had with the president of China astatine the G20 [Summit successful Brazil]. Of people with China determination is simply a taste relationship, … and [a narration spanning] galore different issues. On the contented of commercialized I told [President Xi Jinping] that we person the commercialized statement with the United States and that is 1 of our priorities,” Sheinbaum said.

By Mexico News Daily main unit writer Peter Davies ([email protected])