President Donald Trump has agreed to delay the imposition of sweeping tariffs on neighboring Mexico and Canada by one month after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to send troops to protect their borders with the United States.
Sheinbaum and Trudeau promised to send 10,000 troops each to their borders to help the U.S. curb illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, among other measures.
The agreement with Mexico came Monday morning, two days after Trump signed three executive orders authorizing 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Mexico and Canada and a lower 10 percent tariff on products from China. Trump previously spoke with Sheinbaum and Trudeau, both of whom vowed a retaliatory response to the U.S. tariffs.
Trump confirmed the long-awaited tariffs on Mexico were paused for one month to allow room for negotiations, hours before the measures were set to take effect at midnight on Tuesday.
“We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries.”
Trump and Trudeau came to a similar agreement Monday afternoon that would see Canada send troops to the U.S. northern border as one of several measures to mitigate the flow of fentanyl in exchange for halting the tariffs for at least the next month.
“I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border,” Trudeau stated on X.
Trudeau also said Canada will be appointing a fentanyl czar, labeling the drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations, bolstering intelligence capabilities to combat fentanyl, and adopting a joint U.S.-Canada joint strike force to tackle organized crime.
Trump celebrated the agreement in a statement shared to Truth Social on Monday evening.
“Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl that have been pouring into our Country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, while destroying their families and communities all across our Country,” he said.
“As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that. I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the Tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30 day period to see whether or not a final Economic deal with Canada can be structured. FAIRNESS FOR ALL!”
Before the agreement, Trudeau announced Saturday night that Canada would begin imposing 25 percent tariffs on more than $100 billion of U.S. goods, including immediate tariffs that would affect roughly $30 billion of goods, in response to Trump’s tariffs.
Mexico indicated it would pursue both tariff and non-tariff measures, at least until Sheinbaum agreed to help Trump with border security.
Trump authorized the tariffs in order to ensure cooperation from Mexico, Canada, and China in helping combat the record flow of illegal immigrants and fentanyl supplies into the U.S.
China is the primary source of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, which get trafficked directly into the U.S. primarily through Mexico. In fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 21,148 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border, compared with only 43 pounds that Border Patrol seized at the northern border.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said the tariffs are not meant to be a negotiating tactic and emphasized that the three nations could do nothing to prevent them from being imposed.
The president also promised to plan additional tariffs on the European Union, semiconductor chips, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, copper, oil, and gas.
Public concerns about rising prices for American consumers and businesses increased over the weekend, as Trump was expected to order the tariffs, which he has threatened to levy since winning the 2024 election. The Wall Street Journal‘s editorial board described the tariffs as part of the “dumbest trade war in history.”
Administration officials are countering the media’s “trade war” narrative, saying the tariffs are designed to combat drugs and immigration.
“This isn’t a ‘trade war’ with Canada, or Mexico, or China — this is about fentanyl,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Monday morning on Fox News. “We’ve had a mass invasion of our country.”