Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum gestures as she speaks about U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies during a press conference at the National Palace, in Mexico City, Mexico January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Henry Romero | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Monday said he is pausing for one month his new 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico after that country’s president agreed to immediately send 10,000 soldiers to the U.S. border to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico.
Trump in a social media post said that during the pause “we will have negotiations” on the tariffs “headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico.”
He also said “I look forward to participating in those negotiations” with Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum “as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries.”
The announcement came two days after Trump slapped 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10% tariffs on goods imported from China.
Sheinbaum over the weekend threatened retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from the United States, and nontariff measures, but had not disclosed the rate for the tariffs.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday night that his country would implement a 25% tariff against $155 billion in U.S. goods in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs, which had been announced hours earlier.
China has said it will challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization.
U.S. stocks, which had opened trading lower Monday, regained most of those losses on news of the pause of the tariffs on goods from Mexico.
Scott Bessent and Marco Rubio arrive ahead of the 60th inaugural ceremony where Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president on January 20, 2025, in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC.
Ricky Carioti | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Trump and Sheinbaum spoke Monday morning ahead of the announcement of the pause.
Both he and Sheinbaum said that the Mexican National Guard troops that she is sending to the border with the U.S. will have the mission of halting drug trafficking from Mexico, particularly that of the deadly opioid fentanyl.
Trump also wrote that the Mexican troops will aim to stop the flow “of migrants into our Country.”
Sheinbaum first disclosed the pause on the tariffs on Mexico in a post on the X social media site.
“We had a good conversation with President Trump with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty; we reached a series of agreements,” Sheinbaum wrote in the tweet, according to a translation from Spanish.
She also wrote, “The United States is committed to working to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico.”
Trump had not mentioned a commitment to stem the flow of weapons in his Truth Social post about his conversation with Sheinbaum.
At a news conference Monday morning, Sheinbaum was asked whether the issue of migrants and deportations from the U.S. was addressed during her call with Trump.
“We will always support and defend them. Always,” Sheinbaum answered.
She also said Mexican officials in discussions with the U.S. State Department are “working hard to defend our Mexican brothers and sisters.”