U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied that his threat of sweeping tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico is meant to force early trade renegotiations, insisting he’s responding to “massive” flows of fentanyl and migrants into the U.S.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s tactic was meant to kickstart talks on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which replaced NAFTA during Trump’s first term as president, before it comes up for review in 2026. The report cited people familiar with Trump’s thinking.
Asked about the report during an unrelated press conference at the White House, Trump said his threat of 25 per cent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, which he said will “probably” begin on Feb. 1, has “nothing to do with” CUSMA.
“They’ve allowed — both of them, and Canada very much so — they’ve allowed millions and millions of people to come into our country that shouldn’t be here,” he said. “They could have stopped them and they didn’t.
“The fentanyl coming through Canada is massive. The fentanyl coming through Mexico is massive. And people are getting killed and families are being destroyed.”
Trump also said said his administration is discussing imposing a 10 per cent tariff on goods imported from China on Feb. 1 “based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada.”
Trump has previously said he wants to reopen CUSMA when it comes up for review to close loopholes that Canadian and U.S. officials say are being exploited by China to enter the North American auto market through Mexico.
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The president signed a sweeping executive order on trade policy Monday that included a direction to the U.S. trade representative to commence public consultations “in preparation” for CUSMA’s scheduled 2026 review, assess the trade agreement’s impact on American workers and agricultural producers, “and make recommendations regarding the United States’…
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