Donald Trump said he was pausing some of the sweeping new tariffs on Mexican imports, amid continued trade tensions with Canada and sustained blowback from global markets on the US president’s policies.
Trump said he would hold off some tariffs on Mexico, furthering a pullback in trade action a day after providing reprieve for automakers.
The president said after a phone call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum that fresh tariffs targeting Mexico would not apply to trade that falls under an existing regional pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The pause, he said, was “until April 2nd.” At that point, Canadian and Mexican goods could still face reciprocal levies.
“I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum. Our relationship has been a very good one,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
His remarks stood in sharp contrast to the seething tensions with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau said that Ottawa will remain in a trade war with Washington for “the foreseeable future” even if there are “breaks for certain sectors.”
The United States’ expanded reprieve for Mexico came a day after the White House gave automakers temporary relief too from the levies that hit everything from lumber to avocado imports.
