Mexican President States Agreement Sought in Letter
Trump Announces 30% Reciprocal Tariffs on EU and Mexico
Claudia Sheinbaum, the President of Mexico, expressed confidence that an agreement could be reached in response to the 30% tariff announcement by the Donald Trump administration in the United States.
According to the official transcript of the president's speech provided by the Mexican presidential office on the 13th (local time), President Sheinbaum stated at the opening ceremony of a public hospital in Guaymas, Sonora, the previous day, "President Trump has sent tariff letters to major countries around the world and announced a plan to impose a 30% tariff on Mexico as well." She added, "The letter clearly states that the goal is to seek an agreement."
She emphasized, "I have always said that calm judgment is necessary in situations like this," and added, "In this case as well, I am confident that by clearly communicating to the U.S. government what we can and cannot cooperate on, we will be able to reach an agreement through negotiations."
Previously, on the 12th, President Trump announced that he would impose a 30% reciprocal tariff on both the European Union (EU) and Mexico starting from the first of next month. President Trump made this announcement by posting two letters addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and President Sheinbaum on his social media platform, Truth Social.
As a result, the reciprocal tariff rate for the EU increased by 10 percentage points from 20% in April, and although Mexico, as a signatory to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), was exempt from reciprocal tariffs in April, it will now be subject to a 30% reciprocal tariff.
However, President Trump left open the possibility of negotiations, stating, "If Mexico succeeds in confronting the cartels (that traffic drugs into the United States) and in blocking the inflow of fentanyl, the tariffs could be adjusted."
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