President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is postponing 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico for an additional month, marking the second such delay since he first threatened the import taxes in early February.
The decision, revealed on Truth Social, follows a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and comes amid assurances from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that tariffs on both Mexico and Canada would “likely” be deferred. The reprieve applies to goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), renegotiated during Trump’s first term.
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“We are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl,” Trump posted, framing the delay as a collaborative step toward tackling immigration and drug trafficking. The announcement aligns with Lutnick’s earlier remarks, though he stressed that reciprocal tariffs—targeting countries that tax U.S. exports—will still take effect April 2, keeping pressure on trading partners.
The on-again, off-again tariff saga has whipsawed financial markets, dented consumer confidence, and left businesses grappling with uncertainty, potentially stalling hiring and investment plans. U.S. stocks, which had slumped earlier Thursday, clawed back losses after Lutnick’s comments, reflecting cautious optimism. Still, the broader economic fallout looms large, with Mexico—a top U.S. trading partner—warning of retaliatory measures that could spike prices on everything from avocados to auto parts.
Across the northern border, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed the month-long pause as a “promising sign” but braced for a prolonged trade war. “It aligns with some of the conversations that we have been having with administration officials,” Trudeau said. Yet he cautioned, “The tariffs remain in place, and therefore our response will remain in place,” signaling Canada’s readiness to maintain its own 25% retaliatory tariffs on $107 billion in U.S. goods, announced earlier this year.
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The latest delay follows a pattern from Trump’s first term, when he leveraged tariff threats to extract border security concessions from Mexico, including a 2019 deal deploying National Guard troops. This time, talks with Sheinbaum reportedly center on bolstering Mexico’s northern border to curb fentanyl flows—a key Trump priority—though details remain sparse. The White House has tapped Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Lutnick to lead ongoing negotiations.
Critics argue Trump’s tariff brinkmanship risks destabilizing North America’s tightly integrated economies, while supporters hail it as a bold play to prioritize American interests.
For now, the clock ticks toward April, when reciprocal tariffs loom and the month-long truce could unravel—leaving businesses, consumers, and allies on edge in a high-stakes trade standoff.
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