US announces 30% tariff on Mexican goods as bilateral talks continue

On Friday, President of the United States Donald Trump informed Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum successful a missive that helium would enforce a 30% tariff connected Mexican imports opening Aug. 1.

“Mexico has been helping maine unafraid the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,” the missive states. “Mexico inactive has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to crook each of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground.” Trump besides announced a 30% tariff connected imports from the European Union, owed to “persistent, commercialized deficits, engendered by your tariff, and non-tariff, policies and commercialized barriers,” the president said in a abstracted letter. 

On Monday, Sheinbaum announced that the concerns cited successful the missive would beryllium addressed successful ongoing bilateral talks, peculiarly the important U.S. commercialized shortage with Mexico. She expressed assurance that Mexico would beryllium capable to negociate a woody to reduce, if not eliminate, the tariff.

The caller tariffs were a stroke to Sheinbaum’s cabinet, which has made galore trips to Washington to guarantee Trump’s advisors that Mexico is making advancement connected the issues identified arsenic priorities by the U.S. president.

In caller weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Mexico for being “very responsive” to Washington’s demands and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Mexico’s proposals “positive.”

Mexico was informed that the missive was coming during high-level talks with U.S. State Department officials connected Friday. The Mexican delegation expressed disagreement with the determination and considered it “unfair treatment,” according to a associated connection of the Economy Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Sheinbaum, who has avoided straight criticizing  Trump, voiced assurance that the U.S. and Mexico volition beryllium capable to sermon the substance diplomatically.

“I’ve ever said that successful these cases, you request a chill caput to look immoderate problem,” Sheinbaum said connected Saturday.

The tariff, if it goes into effect, could origin monolithic upheaval betwixt the United States and its biggest commercialized partner.

The 30% complaint would efficaciously regenerate the 25% tariffs presently levied connected Mexican goods that bash not comply with the existing U.S.-Mexico-Canada escaped commercialized statement (USMCA).

The missive did not code whether USMCA-compliant goods would inactive beryllium exempt from the caller tariffs aft Aug. 1.

Columnist for the paper El Financiero Enrique Quintana estimated that astir US $150 cardinal worthy of Mexican goods would beryllium taxable to the caller 30% import tax.

Comunicado relevante sobre aranceles de Estados Unidos : pic.twitter.com/V5HtSsNzyg

— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) July 12, 2025

In the associated statement, Mexico said “the archetypal large task of the imperishable binational committee volition beryllium to behaviour the enactment truthful that, earlier [the tariffs instrumentality effect], we person an alternate that volition support businesses and jobs connected some sides of the border.”

The bilateral talks impact Ebrard’s Economy Ministry on with the overseas relations, finance, information and vigor ministries.

On its broadside of the table, the U.S. State Department is joined by the Commerce and Energy departments, Homeland Security and the U.S. Trade Representative.

Sheinbaum said Mexico’s negotiators volition stress the advancement her medication has made successful the combat against organized crime, portion besides seeking to summation greater practice from U.S. counterparts.

“We person insisted that controlling the travel of weapons from the United States to Mexico, and arresting individuals progressive successful cause trafficking successful the United States [requires] collaboration,” she said connected Monday. “Yes, determination is coordination, but portion of [the responsibility] falls connected america to forestall drugs from passing from present to there, but portion of it besides falls connected them.”

Sheinbaum said her medication volition proceed moving to scope a satisfactory agreement. “The astir important happening for america is to guarantee that employment is not affected and that practice betwixt our countries is maintained,” she said.

As has been the lawsuit since Trump imposed the archetypal of a drawstring of tariffs connected Mexico, Sheinbaum has declined to sermon retaliatory tariffs. In his letter, Trump included a menace to rise the tariffs should Mexico opt to retaliate.

With reports from The Associated Press, El Economista, El Financiero, Reuters and The Guardian