Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for temporarily suspending tariffs on most Mexican goods, following their recent imposition.  

 

"We had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration has given unprecedented results," Sheinbaum stated in a post on X, written in Spanish. She reaffirmed that Mexico would continue working with the US on key issues such as migration and security, specifically mentioning efforts to curb the illegal flow of fentanyl into the US while also addressing the smuggling of weapons into Mexico. She confirmed that the suspension would remain in effect until April 2.  

 

The pause on tariffs applies to goods covered by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade deal that replaced NAFTA in 2020 during Trump's first term in office. Trump had pushed for changes to NAFTA, with the new agreement granting the US greater access to Canada’s dairy market and allowing for increased imports of Canadian automobiles. The decision to suspend some tariffs on Mexican goods comes a day after Trump announced a temporary exemption for North American car manufacturers that comply with USMCA regulations.  

 

Despite this concession, Trump remained critical of Canada, accusing the country of failing to prevent drug trafficking into the US. Reports indicate that the relief on tariffs contributed to a rise in US stocks, which had suffered two days of losses that erased gains made since the November presidential election.  

 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described a recent phone call with Trump regarding tariffs as “colorful.” According to CBC News, citing a senior Canadian government source, the conversation turned heated, with Trump reportedly using profane language multiple times while discussing dairy trade. Trudeau characterized the nearly hour-long call as “substantive” and said discussions were ongoing. Meanwhile, the US treasury secretary took a pointed jab at Trudeau, advising foreign leaders to remain composed in negotiations with Trump. "If you want to be a numbskull like Justin Trudeau and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to do this,’ then tariffs are probably going to go up," he said.  

 

Sheinbaum also highlighted Mexico’s efforts to combat fentanyl smuggling, stating that she had presented Trump with data showing a significant decrease in the drug’s movement across the border. "In February, the reduction in fentanyl seizures on the US side of the border with Mexico was reduced by 41.5%," she said during a news conference. She credited the deployment of 10,000 border guards and enhanced customs inspections as measures that were "giving results."

 

However, she also questioned the impact of the tariffs, asking Trump, "Now that you put in the tariffs—how are we going to continue cooperating and collaborating with something that hurts the people of Mexico?"  

 

Canada has been granted the same temporary tariff suspension as Mexico, covering goods under the USMCA agreement until April 2. However, because a smaller percentage of Canadian exports fall under the agreement compared to Mexico, some goods from both countries remain subject to tariffs.  

 

White House officials explained that Trump’s decision to pause tariffs was influenced by commitments from automakers to shift supply chains back to the US. Additionally, they cited the efforts of both Mexico and Canada to combat fentanyl trafficking as another factor in his decision. Trump signed two executive orders in the Oval Office titled: “Amendments to Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border” and “Amendments to Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Southern Border.”  

 

Despite these temporary concessions, Trump warned that further trade measures could be coming, stating that April 2 would be a pivotal moment when other countries might face reciprocal tariffs. He singled out Canada, labeling it a “high-tariff nation” and claiming that the US does not rely on its exports. "We don’t need trees from Canada, we don’t need cars from Canada, we don’t need energy from Canada, we don’t need anything from Canada," he declared. When pressed about whether similar exemptions might be granted to car manufacturers next month, Trump responded, "We’re not looking at that."

 

Based on a report by AP  2025-03-08

 

 

 

 

Trump is DUMB. On again off again.Full of bluster but no BALLS.The typical playground bully that loves to show off but when push comes to shove he makes all the excuses blaming everyone else.Now he is blaming Trudeau for the fentanyl coming into America.When his administration has stated that very little drugs come through the Canadian border.WIll and canot ever except responsibility for his F ups.

America will not prosper until this idiot leaves the White House either by vote or in a long box.

I think it's becoming increasingly more obvious with his "cycle insanity" that Trump is looking to destroy the US economy. There is no other explanation. Why he wants to destroy the American economy is open to interpretation, whether or not he's following the dictates of the deep state, or some other agenda that he has, to enable a total reset, but there's no question he is looking to destroy the US economy and that makes him an extremely dangerous man.

 

His tariffs, and his continued threat of tariffs, and his continued on again off again policy is extremely damaging for companies looking to invest in infrastructure, distribution and nanufacturing. He has no understanding whatsoever of globalization, none. 

 

It’s a total mess. As the Ford Motor chief executive Jim Farley courageously (compared to other chief executives) pointed out, “Let’s be real honest: Long term, a 25 percent tariff across the Mexico and Canada borders would blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we’ve never seen.”

 

So, either Trump wants to blow that hole, or he’s bluffing, or he is clueless. If it is the latter, Trump is going to get a crash course in the hard realities of the global economy as it really is — not how he imagines it.

 

Ecosystems? Listen a bit to Beinhocker, who is also the executive director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School. In the real world, he argues, “There is no such thing as the American economy anymore that you can identify in any real, tangible way. There’s just this accounting fiction that we call U.S. G.D.P.” To be sure, he says, “There are American interests in the economy. There are American workers. There are American consumers. There are firms based in America. But there is no American economy in that isolated sense.”

 

The old days, he added, “where you made wine and I made cheese, and you had everything you needed to make wine and I had everything I needed to make cheese and so we traded with each other — which made us both better off, as Adam Smith taught — those days are long gone.” Except in Trump’s head.

 

Instead, there is a global web of commercial, manufacturing, services and trading “ecosystems,” explains Beinhocker. “There is an automobile ecosystem. There’s an A.I. ecosystem. There’s a smartphone ecosystem. There’s a drug development ecosystem. There is the chip-making ecosystem.” And the people, parts and knowledge that make up those ecosystems all move back and forth across many economies.

 

As NPR noted in a recent story about the auto industry, “carmakers have built a vast, complicated supply chain that spans North America, with parts crossing back and forth across borders throughout the auto manufacturing process. … Some parts cross borders multiple times — like, say, a wire that is manufactured in the U.S., sent to Mexico to be bundled into a group of wires, and then back to the U.S. for installation into a bigger piece of a car, like a seat.”

 

Trump just waves off all of this. He told reporters that the U.S. is not reliant on Canada. “We don’t need them to make our cars,” he said.

 

Actually, we do. And thank goodness for that. It not only enables us to make cars cheaper, but also better. All that a Model T did was get you from point to point faster than a horse, but today’s cars offer you heating and cooling and entertainment from the internet and satellites. They will navigate for you and even drive for you — and they’re much safer. When we can combine more complex knowledge and complex parts to solve complex problems, our quality of life soars.

 

But here’s the catch. You cannot make complex stuff alone anymore. It’s too complex. And if you are not part of these ecosystems, your country will not thrive.”

 

And trust is the essential ingredient that makes these ecosystems work and grow, Beinhocker adds. Trust acts as both glue and grease. It glues together bonds of cooperation, while at the same time it greases the flows of people, products, capital and ideas from one country to the next. Remove trust and the ecosystems start to collapse.

 

Trust, though, is built by good rules and healthy relationships, and Trump is trampling on both. The result: If he goes down this road, Trump will make America and the world poorer. Mr. President, do your homework.

 

 

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

We had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration has given unprecedented results,"

Trump getting deals done

3 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

Trump is DUMB. On again off again.Full of bluster but no BALLS.The typical playground bully that loves to show off but when push comes to shove he makes all the excuses blaming everyone else.Now he is blaming Trudeau for the fentanyl coming into America.When his administration has stated that very little drugs come through the Canadian border.WIll and canot ever except responsibility for his F ups.

America will not prosper until this idiot leaves the White House either by vote or in a long box.

Getting better deals is dumb? Well that's what the left says. Biden 3 to 10% inflation. That's dumb.

I am sure Canada will not invade the US because of Ol' Bone Spurs. The relationship is longer than four years. 

The claim Trump is getting deals done is only Trumps imagination. Name ONE deal he has done to benefit the USA.

On 3/9/2025 at 4:45 AM, Paul Henry said:

The claim Trump is getting deals done is only Trumps imagination. Name ONE deal he has done to benefit the USA.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/southwest-land-border-encounters

 

Kind of speaks for itself.

On 3/8/2025 at 11:46 AM, Harrisfan said:

Getting better deals is dumb? Well that's what the left says. Biden 3 to 10% inflation. That's dumb.

Nice to get you on record that 3-10% inflation is dumb.