Trump announces tariff increases for China, Canada and Mexico

Donald Trump confirmed Monday, November 25, that his first economic measures after his inauguration in January would be to increase customs duties on products coming from China but also from Canada and Mexico, decisions that he justifies by the crises linked to opiates. and immigration. “On January 20, as one of my many first executive orders, I will sign all necessary documents to impose 25% tariffs on ALL products entering the United States on Mexico and Canada.”wrote the president-elect in a publication on his Truth Social network. “This tax will remain in effect until drugs, especially fentanyl, and all illegal immigrants stop this invasion of our country!”he adds.

In a separate post, he announces an increase in customs taxes of 10%, which is added to those already existing and to those additional that he could decide, on “all the many products arriving from China to the United States”. He explains that he often raised the problem of the influx of drugs, notably fentanyl, one of the main culprits of the opioid crisis in the United States, with Chinese officials who promised him severe punishment, “until the death penalty”THE “traffickers”. “But they never got to the end of things”he regrets.

Risk of trade war

The increase in customs duties, which he has often described as his “favorite expression” during his campaign, is one of the keys to the future economic policy of the president-elect, who is not afraid of relaunching inflation and trade wars, particularly with China, started during his first term. Concerning China, he promised customs duties of up to 60% for certain products, or even 200% on vehicle imports from Mexico.

American laws give the president the necessary tools to implement customs duties by decree, as Donald Trump was able to do several times during his first term, on Chinese and European steel and aluminum for example.