US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened Mexico and the European Union with a 30 per cent tariff on imports on August 1. The threat comes after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partners failed to reach a conclusion.
Trump announced the latest tariff in separate letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Mexican President said she was sure an agreement could be reached. “I’ve always said that in these cases, what you have to do is keep a cool head to face any problem,” she said during an event, reported Reuters.
She also stressed that the country can work with the US government and ” we’re clear on what we can’t.” “And there’s something that’s never negotiable: the sovereignty of our country,” Sheinbaum added.
This week, Trump sent a similar letter to 23 other trading partners, including Canada, Japan, and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper.
Trump said the 30 per cent rate was “separate from all sectoral tariffs”, indicating 50 per cent levies on steel and aluminium imports and a 25 per cent tariff on auto imports would remain.
The targeted countries have until August 1 to negotiate agreements that could lower the threatened tariffs.
