Trump has taken to Twitter in the last few minutes to defend his newly announced tariffs against Mexico to stop illegal immigration and drugs:
Mexico has taken advantage of the United States for decades. Because of the Dems, our Immigration Laws are BAD. Mexico makes a FORTUNE from the U.S., have for decades, they can easily fix this problem. Time for them to finally do what must be done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2019
In order not to pay Tariffs, if they start rising, companies will leave Mexico, which has taken 30% of our Auto Industry, and come back home to the USA. Mexico must take back their country from the drug lords and cartels. The Tariff is about stopping drugs as well as illegals!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2019
90% of the Drugs coming into the United States come through Mexico & our Southern Border. 80,000 people died last year, 1,000,000 people ruined. This has gone on for many years & nothing has been done about it. We have a 100 Billion Dollar Trade Deficit with Mexico. It’s time!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2019
Mexico has now responded to Trump’s announcement:
Mexico’s president said on Friday he would respond with “great prudence” to threats by his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Mexican goods entering the United States, and called on Mexicans to unite to face the challenge.
It is the biggest foreign policy test to date for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who during his six months in power has consistently sought to deflect Trump’s barbs and avoid embroiling himself in confrontations.
Lopez Obrador predicted the Trump administration would rectify the tariff threat and said that Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard would be in Washington working to convince the U.S. government that Trump’s measures were in neither country’s interest, and that Mexico was making progress containing migration.
Speaking at his regular morning news conference, Lopez Obrador said he believed Trump would understand that the tariff threat was not the way to resolve the matter, and stressed that Mexicans had united behind his government.
“I tell all Mexicans to have faith, we will overcome this attitude of the U.S. government, they will make rectifications because the Mexican people doesn’t deserve to be treated in the way being attempted,” Lopez Obrador said.
Trump has certainly gotten Mexico’s attention now. He’s been trying to get their attention for months, as we’ve already seen. Trump is intent that they should be doing more to stop this immigration and drug crisis and he’s pushing them harder. I don’t like these tariffs anymore than the next guy but I also don’t like what’s going on at the border. Something has to give and hopefully it will be Mexico stopping the flow of migrants to our southern border.