What happened
President Donald Trump paused his 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada Monday after speaking with their respective leaders, but his additional 10% import tax on Chinese goods took effect at midnight. China said it will retaliate with 10-15% tariffs on U.S. energy products, agricultural machinery and large passenger vehicles, plus restrictions on exports of critical minerals. Beijing also announced an antimonopoly investigation into Google.
Who said what
Trump backed off taxing imports from America's two closest neighbors for 30 days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced measures to beef up security on their U.S. borders to curb immigration and fentanyl trafficking. But it doesn't appear "any of those measures were major concessions," The New York Times said. Mexican National Guard troops have been patrolling the U.S. border for a year and Sheinbaum was already cracking down on fentanyl. And while Trudeau promised a new "fentanyl czar" and cross-border task force, the biggest part of Canada's border plan was announced in December.
This wasn't "some genius power play" by Trump, The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial. But "if the North American leaders need to cheer about a minor deal so they all claim victory, that's better for everyone."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Trump called the China tariffs an "opening salvo" and said he "would be speaking to China, probably in the next 24 hours." He also said he planned to levy import taxes on the European Union "very soon."
-
Jane Austen lives on at these timeless hotelsThe Week Recommends Here’s where to celebrate the writing legend’s 250th birthday
-
‘Mexico: A 500-Year History’ by Paul Gillingham and ‘When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy’ by David Margolickfeature A chronicle of Mexico’s shifts in power and how Sid Caesar shaped the early days of television
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Coffee jittersFeature The price of America’s favorite stimulant is soaring—and not just because of tariffs
-
What a rising gold price says about the global economyThe Explainer Institutions, central banks and speculators drive record surge amid ‘loss of trust’ in bond markets and US dollar
-
Shein in Paris: has the fashion capital surrendered its soul?Talking Point Despite France’s ‘virtuous rhetoric’, the nation is ‘renting out its soul to Chinese algorithms’
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
Will latest Russian sanctions finally break Putin’s resolve?Today's Big Question New restrictions have been described as a ‘punch to the gut of Moscow’s war economy’
-
Warner Bros. explores sale amid Paramount bidsSpeed Read The media giant, home to HBO and DC Studios, has received interest from multiple buying parties
-
China’s rare earth controlsThe Explainer Beijing has shocked Washington with export restrictions on minerals used in most electronics
