Today, officials from Mexico and the EU are working to negotiate their way out of Trump’s latest tariff announcement, which saw the trading partners face a 30% tariff on most goods imported to the US.
On Saturday, the EU and Mexico joined the growing list of recipients of letters as Trump announced the new levies on Truth Social.
President Trump wrote: “The United States of America has agreed to continue working with the European Union, despite having one of our largest Trade Deficits with you. Nevertheless, we have decided to move forward, but only with more balanced and fair TRADE.”
“Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,” he wrote in his letter to Mexico’s President, calling Mexico a “Narco-Trafficking Playground.”
Reacting to President Trump’s comments, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated, “The letter clearly states that the aim is to reach an agreement so that these tariffs are not imposed… I’ve always said that in these cases, what you have to do is keep a cool head to face any problem.”
“We’re also clear on what we can work with the United States government on, and we’re clear on what we can’t. And there’s something that’s never negotiable: the sovereignty of our country,” she concluded.
Today, the EU announced a delay in the planned tariffs on €21 billion ($24.5 billion) of US exports to the EU, originally scheduled for Tuesday.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said “We have always been clear that we prefer a negotiated solution with the US. This remains the case.”
European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said a 30% tariff rate would make it nearly impossible to keep trading as before, causing major disruptions to supply chains and negative effects on both sides of the Atlantic. “And therefore I think we have to do, and I will definitely do, everything I can to prevent this super-negative scenario.”
French President Emmanuel Macron took to X urging the EU to “resolutely defend European interests… In particular, this implies speeding up the preparation of credible countermeasures, by mobilising all the instruments at its disposal, including anti-coercion, if no agreement is reached by August 1st.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said 30% tariffs would “overshadow everything, and hit the German export industry to the core.”
If negotiations fail, Trump’s tariff plan will be implemented on August 1.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
