International
Trump Officially Imposes Sweeping Tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico
- Trump enacts tariffs: 25% on Canada and Mexico, 10% on China and Canadian energy.
- Canada, Mexico, and China preparing countermeasures.
- Experts warn tariffs could raise consumer prices in the U.S.
President Donald Trump on Saturday officially signed sweeping tariffs targeting Canada, Mexico, and China—fulfilling a long-standing campaign promise to pressure America’s closest trading partners into compliance.
Under the newly enacted measures, Canada and Mexico will face a 25% tariff on all imports into the United States, while Chinese goods will be subjected to a more moderate 10% tariff. Additionally, Washington will impose a separate 10% tariff on Canadian energy exports, including natural gas, oil, and electricity.
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The executive orders implementing these tariffs contain a retaliation clause, allowing for an automatic increase in duties should any of the three affected nations respond with countermeasures.
According to the White House, the tariffs are a direct response to what the administration sees as Canada, Mexico, and China’s failure to curb illegal immigration and the influx of fentanyl into the United States. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated Friday that fentanyl trafficking, particularly from Mexico and China, has led to the deaths of “tens of millions” of Americans in recent years, warranting strong action.
“We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all,” Trump declared in a post on Truth Social. “I made a promise during my campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favour of it.”
The tariffs are being enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law that grants the president broad authority to regulate trade during a declared national emergency. Trump invoked the National Emergencies Act (NEA) last month, citing an ongoing crisis at the southern U.S. border as justification for these economic measures.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) arguing that the tariffs will only exacerbate economic hardship for American consumers.
“It would be nice if Donald Trump could start focusing on getting prices down instead of making them go up,” Schumer said in an interview with CNN, warning that the tariffs “will hit Americans in their wallets.” He argued that Washington should instead be targeting “true economic adversaries like China, rather than punishing our allies.”
Schumer also took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the tariffs, warning that they would lead to price hikes on everyday goods, including gasoline and even pizza: “Wait till Trump’s tariffs raise your pizza prices.”
The new tariffs on Canadian goods are set to take effect Tuesday, marking a dramatic escalation in trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was expected to announce retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports later on Saturday, according to reports.
As of Saturday, it remained unclear when the tariffs on Mexican and Chinese goods would go into effect.
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Trump has long viewed tariffs as a strategic tool to correct trade imbalances, increase government revenue, and exert leverage in broader policy disputes. Earlier this month, when Colombia initially refused to accept a deportation flight carrying its nationals who had entered the U.S. illegally, Trump threatened to impose tariffs as high as 50%—a move that experts warned could have plunged Colombia’s economy into a deep recession.
Faced with the economic threat, Colombian President Gustavo Petro quickly reversed course, offering to use his own presidential aircraft to assist with deportations.
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