President Trump on Monday responded to a question about looming tariffs on US neighbors Canada and Mexico by suggesting they are “on time.”
A reporter noted that a month-long delay in the implementation of those tariffs — which Trump originally planned to impose at the beginning of February — is set to expire next week. The reporter asked if Trump believed Canada and Mexico had “done enough” on their respective borders with the US to avoid the new duties.
Trump has made border security the key sticking point in the talks.
“We’re on time with the tariffs,” Trump said during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, adding, “We’ve been mistreated very badly by many countries, not just Canada and Mexico.”
Trump meandered in his answer, seeming to then talk about tariffs more broadly, including his plan for so-called reciprocal tariffs, as he said they would go forward “on time, on schedule.”
Canada and Mexico, the US’s two biggest trade partners, face the looming tariffs as soon as March 4. Reuters reported today that the two countries were “intensifying” their efforts this week to avoid those tariffs.
Mexican and US economic officials held talks last week, according to the report, which also said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “has kept in close contact with Trump” recently. The White House said the two leaders spoke over the weekend.
