OAN Staff James Meyers
11:05 AM – Monday, February 3, 2025
President Donald Trump and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, announced on Monday that they have agreed to a one-month pause on the imposition of a 25% across-the board tariff by the U.S. in exchange for concessions on border security by Mexico. During this time, a broader deal will be negotiated.
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As part of the temporary pause, Sheinbaum agreed to reinforce the U.S.-Mexico border with 10,000 personnel from her country’s National Guard, to help cut down on fentanyl dissemination and illegal immigration into the U.S., per statements from both presidents.
The U.S. also agreed to increase efforts to prevent the trafficking of weapons, according to the Mexican president, who had a call with Trump earlier in the day on Monday.
“I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “We will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico.”
“I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries.”
The move comes after Trump ordered a 25% levy on Mexican imports after accusing the neighboring country of failing to meet his demands of addressing the fentanyl and migration situations.
The tariff was set to come in addition to existing tariffs the U.S. has in effect against Mexico, which had been preparing retaliatory measures.
Meanwhile, Mexico is currently the U.S.’ biggest trading partner, with close to 80% of its exports flowing north. Just 165 of U.S. exports go to Mexico, with almost $775 billion worth of goods being traded between both nations last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We had a good conversation with President Trump with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty; we reached a series of agreements,” Sheinbaum said in a statement on X, per a translation.
“Our teams will begin working today on two fronts: security and trade,” she added. “They are pausing tariffs for one month from now.”
Additionally, Trump had also ordered a 25% tariff on Canada for fentanyl and the migrant crises and a 10% across-the-board tariff on China.
However, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled new 25% tariffs on over $106 billion in U.S. goods.
Canada, China and Mexico are America’s three largest trading partners, totaling almost $1.4 trillion worth of U.S. imports annually.
In the near future, the Tax Foundation projects that if all three tariffs went into effect that the average U.S. household would see a tax hike of about $830.
“This will be the golden age of America! Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not!). But we will make America great again, and it will all be worth the price that must be paid,” Trump acknowledged on Truth Social Sunday.
The president also hinted at hitting European countries with tariffs over the weekend.
“The UK, but [the] European Union is really out of line,” Trump told reporters on Sunday night. “UK is out of line but I’m sure that one, I think that one can be worked out. But the European Union, it’s an atrocity what they’ve done.”
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