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President Donald Trump will enact tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China starting Saturday– despite reports claiming the administration was looking for more targeted measures.
“The president will be implementing, tomorrow, a 25 percent tariffs on Mexico, 25 percent tariffs on Canada and a 10 percent tariff on China for the illegal fentanyl that they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country which has killed tens of millions of Americans,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during her Friday briefing.
Leavitt made the claims after a Wall Street Journal report that stated members of the administration hoped to find more targeted measures rather than sweeping tariffs.
The White House as now denied those reports.
Staff was reportedly looking at measures that would use specific tariffs on steel and aluminum – similar to those Trump enacted during his first term – or exclude oil.
On Thursday, Trump affirmed to reporters he was “in the process” of enacting tariffs on the United States’s neighbors to the north and south – which could have major impacts on the economies of the two nations.
“We’re going to make that determination probably tonight on oil. Because they send us oil, we’ll see – it depends on what their price is,” Trump said Thursday.
Trumps claimed the tariffs are necessary to incentivize Canada and Mexico to enact stricter border policies to stop the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the U.S. The president has also said it would balance the trade partnership with both countries, which he believes disadvantages the U.S.
The U.S. imports a host of goods from the three nations that are set to face Saturday’s tariffs. The biggest imports from Canada into the U.S. are energy – with experts saying a 25 percent tariff will drive up oil costs and hurt consumers at the gas pump. In 2023, about 60 percent of crude oil imports came from Canada.
Canada is also a major importer of lumber, food and other goods.
U.S. gets consumer electronics, cars and other products from Mexico. The U.S. imports about 2.6 million vehicles from Mexico. The country to the south of the U.S. is also a major food provider, as 63 percent of vegetable imports come from Mexico. A 25 percent tariff could lead to higher prices at the grocery store for Americans.
China imports countless products, including electronics, which totaled nearly $45 billion worth of smartphones imported into the U.S. in 2023.
Canada and Mexico have said they would respond with their own measures
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has remained cool-headed about the potential of tariffs in addition – that’s in addition to the immigration restrictions Trump has placed at the U.S.–Mexico border.
“If there are U.S. tariffs, Mexico would also raise tariffs,” Sheinbaum said last week,
Meanwhile, the proponent of sweeping tariffs has caused political turmoil in Canada where economic concerns have created a cost of living crisis for millions.