President Donald Trump said Thursday his proposed tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico will take effect next Tuesday − and he intends to double the duties on goods from China.
Trump had paused the sweeping 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada earlier this month in exchange for agreements on border security from both countries. But in a post on Truth Social, he said, “Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and acceptable levels,” adding that a large percentage of fentanyl and other drugs are made in China. In addition to moving ahead on the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Trump said he will charge China an additional 10% tariff on top of the 10% tariff he announced on Chinese imports this month.
“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” Trump said in the post. “China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date.”
Trump added that, as previously announced, he will impose reciprocal tariffs beginning in April against all nations that put fees on U.S. exports. Trump has said these tariffs will be equivalent to the fees that individual countries put on products imported from the U.S.
Five weeks into his second term, Trump has repeatedly threatened tariffs ‒ a hallmark of his first term ‒ as a tool to achieve both his foreign policy aims and domestic agenda. On Wednesday, Trump said he plans to slap 25% tariffs on imports from countries in the European Union, saying the EU was formed “to screw the United States.”
Economists warn tariffs, which are taxes on imports, can lead to higher prices for consumers. Trump campaigned on a promise to bring down inflation. Consumer prices increased 3% in January from a year earlier, up from 2.9% the previous month, according to the Labor Department’s consumer price index.