President-elect Donald Trump has unveiled plans to impose substantial tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, which he intends to make part of his initial executive actions when he takes office on January 20th. Trump shared these intentions in recent posts on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Trump revealed he would sign an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada. He also expressed his intention to levy an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods, to be added on top of existing tariffs.
“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States,” Trump stated. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country.”
Trump emphasized that Mexico and Canada had the power to resolve the issue and urged both countries to take immediate action. “Until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price,” he said.
Trump also criticized China for its failure to control the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. He recalled previous conversations with Chinese officials, who allegedly promised to enforce the death penalty on those trafficking the drug. Trump accused China of not fulfilling these promises, allowing fentanyl to enter the U.S. primarily through Mexico at unprecedented levels.
To address the situation, Trump announced plans to impose an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports until the flow of drugs is halted, with this new tariff added on top of existing ones.
During his first term, Trump’s administration implemented a series of tariffs as part of his “America First” policy, aiming to reduce the U.S. trade deficit. In 2018, he imposed a 25% tariff on steel and 10% tariff on aluminum imports from various countries, including Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. That same year, Trump escalated tariffs on Chinese goods, which led to a trade war that strained international economic relations.