White House aides are reportedly trying to talk Trump out of threatening Mexico with new tariffs

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump is planning on threatening to impose tariffs on Mexico if the country does not crack down on Central American migrants trying to seek asylum in the United States, three administration officials told The Washington Post on Thursday.

Trump told reporters earlier in the day he is gearing up to make a "big league" statement about the border, and officials said he is expected to make the announcement on Friday. While one official said most of the administration supports the idea, others told the Post several White House aides are trying to talk Trump out of it, saying this could hurt financial markets and stand in the way of passing the USMCA trade deal.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.