US President Donald Trump has said that sweeping US tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico will proceed as planned when a one-month delay on their implementation expires next week.
“The tariffs are going forward on time, on schedule,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The president claimed that the US has “been taken advantage of” by foreign nations on “just about everything,” and reiterated his plan to impose reciprocal tariffs.
“So the tariffs will go forward, yes, and we’re going to make up a lot of territory,” Trump said.
Mexico expects a good deal
Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that she expected to reach a “good agreement” with Trump this week to avoid being hit with tariffs.
“We hope to be able to reach an agreement before the end of the week, at the latest on Monday,” Sheinbaum said at her morning news conference.
“I think that there will be a good agreement because until now there has not been a single issue where there is conflict, a problem that cannot be solved,” she added.
Mexican officials are in Washington for talks this week and Sheinbaum said she would speak with Trump again by phone if needed.
Trump signed executive orders on February 1 imposing 25% tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% duties on Canadian energy.
Mexico’s attorney general said Tuesday that the country has repeatedly asked the United States to send back drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who is wanted in his home country but has received no response.
Mexico sought Zambada’s extradition “on four occasions,” Alejandro Gertz told reporters, adding that the requests were made before Joe Biden’s presidency ended in January.
“We have not had a response,” Gertz said, adding that several arrest warrants had been issued for Zambada in Mexico linked to drug trafficking.
