U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a significant tariff hike, imposing a 25 percent increase on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10 percent rise on goods coming from China. This decision follows Trump’s pledge to prioritize American interests and protect the nation’s economy.
In a statement, Trump indicated that the new tariffs were in line with his campaign promises to safeguard the country from a variety of threats, including illegal immigration and the influx of harmful substances like drugs, particularly fentanyl, which have been impacting American communities.
The president took to his Truth Social account on Saturday night to share the details of the tariff adjustments. In his post, he explained that the changes would help combat the illegal flow of immigrants and dangerous drugs into the U.S., which he argued posed a significant risk to American citizens’ safety and well-being.
“I have implemented a 25% Tariff on Imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian Energy), and a 10% additional Tariff on China,” he wrote. “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.”
Trump went on to emphasize that his primary responsibility as president is to protect the American people, and that the tariffs are in direct response to the concerns of U.S. citizens who voted overwhelmingly in favor of securing the borders and reducing illegal immigration and drug trafficking. He reiterated that the tariffs were part of fulfilling his campaign promises to the American public.
In response to these new tariff measures, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Trudeau stated that Canada was not expecting a trade conflict with the U.S., but made it clear that the country would respond to the tariff increases as needed.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Trudeau confirmed that Canada would be facing the imposition of a 25% tariff on most of its goods, along with a 10% tariff on energy exports to the U.S., starting February 4. He stated that he had met with the Premiers and Cabinet members, and would be engaging in talks with President Sheinbaum of Mexico shortly to discuss the situation further. Trudeau also reassured Canadians that the country was prepared for the changes, despite not having anticipated the escalation in trade tensions with the U.S.
“We did not want this, but Canada is prepared. I’ll be addressing Canadians later this evening,” he added in his statement, signaling that the Canadian government would be taking steps to address the evolving trade dispute with its southern neighbor.