Why is Mexico holding off on tariff retaliation? Ebrard explains

Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday that determination are “many measures” Mexico tin instrumentality successful effect to U.S. tariffs, but helium stressed that the national authorities won’t instrumentality them “at a atrocious time.”

Ebrard addressed reporters astatine President Claudia Sheinbaum’s greeting property league a time aft the United States imposed 25% tariffs connected each of its imports of alloy and aluminum, and connected hundreds of products made with those metals.

Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her authorities would hold until April 2 to determine whether it would retaliate against those tariffs and immoderate others that are applied to Mexican goods. April 2 is the day the United States has said it volition enforce reciprocal tariffs connected imports from each its commercialized partners.

Ebrard told reporters that placing tariffs connected Mexican alloy and aluminum was a “bad thought due to the fact that the integration of Mexico and the United States … is precise high.”

“We’re the 2 astir integrated economies,” helium said, adding that the 25% tariffs volition impact “a batch of industries.”

On the instructions of Sheinbaum, the Economy Ministry volition commence “consultations” connected the U.S. tariffs with representatives of Mexico’s steel, aluminum and car industries, Ebrard said.

In a nutshell, Economy Secretary @m_ebrard connected 🇺🇸 alloy & aluminum tariffs:

-Consultations starting time with affected industries.

-We volition beryllium acceptable with circumstantial measures successful lawsuit they’re needed connected April 2, but we won’t enactment precipitiously.

– The announced EU measures… https://t.co/PruEVuSjvb

— Julián Ventura (@JulianVenturaV) March 13, 2025

“We’re going to transportation retired consultations truthful that later, depending connected what the United States authorities announces and what we negociate to execute … [before] April 2, we tin instrumentality different measures to support our companies,” helium said.

“… There are galore measures that tin beryllium taken but we’re not going to instrumentality them astatine a atrocious time,” Ebrard said.

“… In summary, we’re going to bash the due consultations and we’re going to hole to usage each the instruments we person depending connected what is advisable for Mexico,” helium said.

Ebrard, who was successful Washington earlier this week for tariff talks with United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, said that helium had received instructions from Sheinbaum to guarantee that Mexico is successful a amended presumption “than immoderate different country” aft the U.S. implements reciprocal tariffs connected April 2.

“That’s the extremity due to the fact that we’re precise integrated with the United States. We person a definite exceptionality,” helium said.

“… We person to execute the champion [trading] conditions possible. With what objective? To support jobs, to support companies and jobs,” Ebrard said. “That is the acquisition we have.”

The system curate stressed that Mexico won’t instrumentality immoderate retaliatory enactment against the United States until it knows however it is affected by U.S. reciprocal tariffs.

The precocious level of integration betwixt the U.S. and Mexican economies mean that alloy and aluminum tariffs volition deed a wide scope of industries, Ebrard said. (Shutterstock)

Sheinbaum has expressed assurance that Mexico volition debar further duties connected its exports to the United States fixed that it doesn’t enforce tariffs connected the immense bulk of imports from the U.S.

Ebrard said that helium and different national authorities officials volition person “very intense” talks with their U.S. counterparts successful the coming weeks. The system curate said helium volition enactment guardant “Mexico’s constituent of view” based connected “what I person conscionable told you.”

“The [United States’] integration with Mexico is exceptional. There is nary different country, not adjacent Canada, that has economical integration [with the United States] similar determination is betwixt Mexico and the United States,” helium said.

Ebrard has antecedently said that tariffs connected Mexican alloy and aluminum are illogical and “not justified” fixed that the U.S. has a surplus with Mexico connected the commercialized of those metals.

He said Thursday that the Mexican authorities volition enactment with “cold blood, resoluteness and firmness” successful talks with the U.S. authorities successful bid to execute “the champion imaginable presumption for Mexico.”

“… I can’t springiness you details of the negotiation. … That would beryllium imprudence due to the fact that it hasn’t concluded,” Ebrard said.

Ebrard emphasized the request for level-headed persistence successful negotiations with the U.S. (Marcelo Ebrard/X)

“… Every time we’re successful talks. How galore meetings person determination been? A lot, and determination volition beryllium more. And we’re not going to springiness up until we execute what the President Claudia Sheinbaum instructed us,” helium said.

“From my constituent of view, with the acquisition I have, this strategy of firmness and acold humor is the champion imaginable strategy, and it’s getting results,” Ebrard said.

In earlier remarks, the system curate said that “without the involution of President Sheinbaum with President Trump” each Mexican goods would look 25% tariffs erstwhile exported to the United States.

Sheinbaum spoke to Trump past Thursday aft which the U.S. president announced that imports from Mexico covered by the USMCA escaped commercialized pact would not beryllium taxable to U.S. tariffs until astatine slightest aboriginal April. The U.S. had imposed 25% tariffs connected each imports from Mexico and astir imports from Canada 2 days earlier owed to what the White House said was the 2 countries’ nonaccomplishment to adequately stem the travel of “lethal drugs” specified arsenic fentanyl into the U.S.

Trump said helium was suspending tariffs connected imports from Mexico covered by the USMCA “as an accommodation, and retired of respect for, President Sheinbaum.”

Sheinbaum had planned to denote retaliatory “tariff and non-tariff measures” against the United States’ broad tariffs astatine a rally successful Mexico City’s cardinal quadrate past Sunday, but she alternatively delivered a celebratory code owed to the suspension of the duties.

Lutnick praises Mexico’s restraint aft alloy tariffs instrumentality effect 

In an interrogation with Bloomberg Television connected Thursday, Howard Lutnick said that successful announcing retaliatory tariffs connected U.S. products, Europe and Canada demonstrated a deficiency of respect for President Trump and “America’s quality to physique its alloy and aluminum industry, which is captious for nationalist security.”

In contrast, Mexico and the United Kingdom were “pragmatic and thoughtful” successful effect to the alloy and aluminum tariffs, the commerce caput said.

Consequently, “the mode successful which we’re going to woody with them is going to beryllium better,” Lutnick said.

In earlier remarks, helium noted that “the British didn’t respond” and “the Mexicans didn’t respond” to the tariffs — astatine slightest not yet.

“You person immoderate countries that really thoughtfully analyse however they bash concern with us,” Lutnick said.

It remains to beryllium seen whether Mexico tin triumph an exemption from the alloy and aluminium tariffs, and debar different further duties, arsenic a effect of its strategy successful responding to and dealing with its largest commercialized partner.

The United States’ commercialized relationships were besides connected Trump’s caput connected Thursday morning.

“The U.S. doesn’t person Free Trade. We person ‘Stupid Trade.’ The Entire World is RIPPING US OFF!!!” helium wrote successful 1 station to Truth Social.

“Canada needs America, America does not request Canada,” Trump said successful different post, quoting businessman Grant Cardone.

US commercialized official: ‘Even the USMCA is not moving for america now’

In an interrogation with Fox News connected Wednesday, Trump’s elder counsellor for commercialized and manufacturing Peter Navarro took purpose astatine the United State-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the North American escaped commercialized pact that Trump signed successful 2018 and which superseded NAFTA successful 2020.

“We mislaid 90,000 factories — NAFTA, WTO, NAFTA shafta, adjacent the USMCA is not moving for america present due to the fact that Biden didn’t enforce it,” Navarro said.

Trump has indicated that helium wants to renegotiate the presumption of the USMCA, which is up for reappraisal successful 2026.

Mexico News Daily