The Americas | The first call

Donald Trump is poised to smash Mexico with tariffs

He has been crystal clear he wants to force the country to do his bidding

Migrant people travel on the Mexican train known as "The Beast" as they arrive at a border town in Mexico
Photograph: Getty Images
|Mexico City

Policy commitments made by President-elect Donald Trump often lack precision. Not so on November 4th, the final day of campaigning, at a rally in North Carolina. Mr Trump kicked it off by announcing that one of his first calls as president would be to Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum. “I’m going to inform her, on day one or sooner, that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I am going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send into the United States of America.” Mr Trump’s policy could not have been much clearer. “You’re the first ones I’ve told it to,” he told the cheering crowd.

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This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “End of the line”

From the November 9th 2024 edition

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