▶ Agreement reached 13 hours before tariff implementation… Mexico deploys 10,000 troops to border for immigration and drug enforcement
▶ Second call with Canada scheduled after initial talks… Focus on whether Canadian tariffs will also be temporarily delayed
President Donald Trump has abruptly decided to delay the implementation of a 25% tariff on Mexico by one month, just one day before it was set to take effect on the 3rd.
President Trump is also expected to continue discussions with Canada, raising questions about whether the planned tariffs on Canada, scheduled to begin on the 4th, will also be postponed.
However, there has been no concrete progress in negotiations regarding China, which faces a 10% tariff.
Furthermore, President Trump has previously hinted at tariffs on the European Union (EU) and specific industries such as semiconductors and steel, heightening concerns over a potential global trade war triggered by Trump’s policies.
Earlier in the day, President Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and agreed to delay the tariffs on Mexico for one month.
President Trump cited Mexico’s commitment to immediately deploy 10,000 troops to the border to crack down on drugs and illegal immigration as the reason for the delay. President Sheinbaum confirmed this in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding that the U.S. has also agreed to step up efforts to curb the smuggling of high-powered weapons into Mexico.
The U.S. and Mexico will engage in negotiations over trade and security issues for the next month, with the final decision on whether to impose comprehensive tariffs on Mexico expected to depend on the outcome of these talks.
The negotiations will involve the U.S. State Department, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, and their Mexican counterparts.
President Trump also spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier in the day but did not reach any specific agreement on tariffs.
In a post on social media following the call, President Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Canada’s restrictions on U.S. bank operations and reiterated the seriousness of the drug trafficking issue.
He is scheduled to speak with Prime Minister Trudeau again later in the day.
If Canada presents satisfactory cooperation measures on drug enforcement and trade issues, similar to Mexico, the tariffs on Canada could also be temporarily delayed.
In this regard, Reuters previously reported, citing government sources, that the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, initially announced for the 1st of this month, would instead take effect on March 1st.
President Trump, who had previously announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China starting from the 1st of this month, finalized the decision to implement the tariffs from the 4th through an executive order on the 1st.
President Trump cited trade deficits and the need to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking into the U.S. as reasons for the unprecedented universal tariffs, which even include allied nations.
The U.S. government reportedly officially notified Canada of the tariffs just before signing the executive order but did not issue a separate notification to Mexico.
In response, Canada immediately announced plans to impose tariffs on U.S. products and disclosed a list of targeted items.
Meanwhile, Mexico emphasized its commitment to a principled response but had not presented a concrete plan as of the day.
The U.S. has a free trade agreement, the USMCA, with Canada and Mexico, and the economies of the three countries are highly integrated.
Many interpreted President Trump’s announcement of universal tariffs on Canada and Mexico shortly after last year’s election as a pressure tactic aimed at revising the USMCA.
The USMCA, which replaced NAFTA during Trump’s first term, took effect in 2020 and includes provisions for a "joint review" in 2026 to assess the agreement’s maintenance and potential amendments.
Unlike the last-minute talks with Canada and Mexico, there has been no significant movement regarding additional tariffs on China.
During his first term, President Trump imposed large-scale tariffs on China under Section 301 of the Trade Act. These tariffs, maintained by the Biden administration, differ from the current measures as they are not universal tariffs.
Separately, President Trump has publicly stated his intention to impose tariffs on the EU and specific industries such as semiconductors, steel, aluminum, copper, oil, and gas.
He also campaigned on a promise to impose universal tariffs of 10% to 20% on all imports.
In a meeting with reporters the previous day, President Trump stated, "The U.S. has essentially been ripped off by almost every country in the world," adding, "We are running trade deficits with almost every country, and we are going to change that."
If President Trump follows through with tariffs on semiconductors and other industries, South Korea, a major trading nation, could face significant challenges in its export sector.