Britt Jones
Mexico’s president has announced a ‘pause’ on its tariffs after coming to an agreement with President Donald Trump, but what did the US power ask for in return?
Trump has been a busy man since he took to office on January 20, and now he has set his sights on striking a deal with Mexico.
After the news broke that he was renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, things seemed like it would go in a bad direction - particularly when the Mexican president hit out against the idea.
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So, when Trump announced the tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China on January 31, which implemented a 25 percent additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10 percent additional tariff on imports from China, things were looking even worse.
In a bid to tackle what the White House called an 'extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl', a press release stated it would stay in place 'until the crisis is alleviated'.
But now, there has been a major update.
Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Trump have come to an agreement which could tackle drug trafficking to the US, and also something that will benefit Mexico too.
In a post on Twitter, Sheinbaum wrote, which has been translated to English: “We had a good conversation with President Trump with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty; we reached a series of agreements.”
These agreements include four things: “1. Mexico will immediately reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the National Guard to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, particularly fentanyl.
“2. The United States is committed to working to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico.
“3. Our teams will begin working today on two fronts: security and trade.
“4. They are pausing tariffs for one month from now."
In exchange, for this ‘pause’ on the tariffs, Sheinbaum wrote that the US will be 'committed to working to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico'.
In return, Trump asked for soldiers.
In a post to his social media platform, Truth Social, the president explained: “I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States.”
He shared that the soldiers ‘will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country’.
Further to the supply of soldiers, the pair also agreed ‘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’ to hash out the tariffs.
The relationship between the two powers appears to be cordial, with Trump sharing that he’s even looking forward ‘to participating in those negotiations’ as the two countries ‘attempt to achieve a 'deal''.
People online have been in support of this new deal, with one writing: "See what happens when you corporate.. @realDonaldTrump knows what he’s doing . He wants you to do your job and protect the people."
Another said: "A good 1st step, hoping 1 months time will bring better opportunities for our countries to work together."