The leaders of Mexico and Canada have been negotiating with US President Donald Trump in different directions to persuade him to rethink the tariffs and prevent a North American trade war from breaking out.
According to The New York Times on February 4, immediately after President Trump announced that he would impose a 25% tax on most imports from the two neighboring countries, Canada and Mexico, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threatened immediate retaliation and made a strong speech on the evening of February 1. Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum chose a soft solution and conducted secret negotiations with Mr. Trump to reach an agreement before the tax took effect.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) and US President Donald Trump
Despite taking different approaches, both Mexican and Canadian leaders achieved a 30-day U.S. tariff delay in exchange for increased border controls to stem the flow of fentanyl and migrants into Washington.
Since November 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau has been preparing the ground for compromise and retaliation. Three days after receiving the threat of tariffs from the US on November 25, 2024, the Canadian leader traveled to Mar-a-Lago (USA) to meet with Mr. Trump about how to prevent a trade war that could seriously damage the Canadian economy.
According to observers, the meeting laid the foundation for Canada to address Mr. Trump's wishes for "a more secure northern border, with fewer illegal immigrants and tighter controls on fentanyl flowing into the United States." However, the effort to salvage the situation caused Mr. Trudeau to be teased by Mr. Trump and called "the governor of Canada."
As a result, in the weeks since the Mar-a-Lago meeting, Canadian politics have been in turmoil. First, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that he would resign as his and the ruling Liberal Party’s popularity has been eroded by a number of issues. Several potential candidates to replace Prime Minister Trudeau, including Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, announced that they would focus all their energies on the upcoming tariff war with the United States and would not enter the Liberal leadership race.
According to The New York Times , Foreign Minister Joly and Finance Minister LeBlanc - two close allies of Mr. Trudeau, have increased lobbying of key members of the US Republican Party to influence Mr. Trump's tariff stance. Mr. LeBlanc has developed a "close friendship" with Mr. Howard Lutnick - President Trump's pick for commerce secretary. Meanwhile, Ms. Joly has visited the US five times and established a connection with Mr. Tom Homan - the "border czar" President Trump chose to monitor US border areas.
While his inner circle has built ties with the Trump administration, Trudeau has also shown a tough side, saying he would impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if Trump took action. Canadian government officials say Trudeau believes it is important to defend Canada more aggressively while also meeting the demands of the White House.
Additionally, in December 2024, Canada launched and budgeted a multi-year, $900 million plan to bolster border protection, which includes the immediate deployment of two Blackhawk helicopters, 60 U.S.-made drones, and additional border guards.
Soft approach from Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attends a press conference in Mexico City on February 3, 2025.
On the Mexican side, President Sheinbaum has taken a softer approach, focusing on partnership in his negotiations with Mr. Trump and showing goodwill by not taking immediate retaliatory measures.
Ms. Sheinbaum and her team have been preparing for the possibility of Mr. Trump returning to the White House as early as June 2024. Since the results of the US presidential election in November 2024, Ms. Sheinbaum has repeatedly stressed that she is not concerned, despite Mr. Trump’s threats to deport illegal immigrants en masse and impose tariffs on Mexico.
After President Trump ordered the tariffs last weekend, Sheinbaum did not rush to decide on a response, but quietly bided her time. On February 1, President Sheinbaum spoke by phone with Prime Minister Trudeau. The New York Times quoted a Canadian official as saying that the two leaders updated each other on their respective strategies and acknowledged that their approaches were slightly different, but had the same goal.
On the morning of February 3, Ms. Sheinbaum and Mr. Trump spoke by phone and quickly reached an agreement. Speaking to reporters, Ms. Sheinbaum said the discussion was "very respectful." Mr. Trump described the call as "extremely friendly."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lanh-dao-mexico-va-canada-da-lam-gi-de-ong-trump-hoan-ap-thue-185250205165902095.htm
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