White House aides are reportedly trying to talk Trump out of threatening Mexico with new tariffs
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.
The goal of the USMCA is to curb tariffs and trade barriers between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and it's unclear if Trump could impose new tariffs under the deal, the Post notes. The White House is trying to speed up ratification of the USMCA, and sent Congress a draft of the agreement on Thursday.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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