Plan A, Plan B, Plan C: Mexico Orders Retaliatory Tariffs Against US After Trump Imposes 25% Duty on Imports- wna24

Washington: Mexico has ordered ‘retaliatory’ tariffs against the United States hours after President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent and 10 per cent duty on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese imports respectively, citing a “major threat” from illegal immigration and drugs.

Blasting the “White House’s slander” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo ordered retaliatory tariffs on the US. In a post on X she wrote, “If such an alliance exists anywhere, it is in the United States armouries that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups,” adding that it had been “demonstrated by the US Department of Justice itself in January of this year.”

“We categorically reject the White House’s slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory,” she wrote further responding to Trump’s tariffs move.

Earlier, Sheinbaum disclosed that Mexico had been in discussions with Trump’s staff before his return to office and had formulated several plans, referred to as “Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C,” to counter US trade actions.

The Mexican president criticised the US government over its fentanyl consumption, a highly potent synthetic opioid. She stated that in the past four months, Mexico had seized over 40 tons of drugs, including 20 million fentanyl doses, and arrested nearly 10,000 individuals tied to drug trafficking groups.

“If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious consumption of fentanyl in their country, they could, for example, combat the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they do not do, and the money laundering generated by this illegal activity that has done so much harm to their population,” Sheinbaum added.

She also emphasised that the US could launch a major campaign to prevent drug use and protect its youth, similar to efforts in Mexico. Sheinbaum argued that drug consumption and distribution are a major public health issue in the US that has yet to be properly addressed.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday imposed steep tariffs on 
China, Canada, and Mexico, citing threats to Americans. He imposed taxes on all imports from Canada and Mexico.  The Trump administration slapped Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on imported goods and taxed China with a 10% duty on its exports.  

Justifying his move, Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform wrote, “Today, I have implemented a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian energy), and a 10% additional tariff on China. This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our citizens, including fentanyl. We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all. I made a promise on my campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it.”