Reaction & Commentary
The Trump administration announced on Saturday that it is imposing tariffs through its new International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing the tariffs Saturday, which will go into effect Tuesday, consisting of a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China.
Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff, according to the White House. In a statement obtained by Fox News Saturday, the Trump administration said the legislation is a response to an “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, (that) constitutes a national emergency.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at AmericaFest Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
“This challenge threatens the fabric of our society,” the executive order states. “Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illicit drugs of all kinds have poured across our borders and into our communities.
“Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs.”
In a fact sheet released by Trump officials, the White House said the tariffs are meant to hold the three countries accountable for “their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country.”
The move was widely criticized by foreign leaders on Saturday. In an X post, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he “did not want this, but Canada is prepared.”
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President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country “categorically reject[s] the White House’s slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory.”
“Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but anywhere,” the statement read. “Therefore, if the United States wants to combat criminal groups that traffic drugs and generate violence, we must work together in an integrated manner, but always under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, collaboration and, above all, respect for sovereignty, which is not negotiable.”
The changes were widely expected after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday the tariffs would roll out over the weekend.
On the same day, Trump told reporters the U.S. may also increase tariffs on imports from the European Union, arguing the tariffs would make the U.S. “very rich and very strong.”
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President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One at the White House. (Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
“We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday. “I made a promise on my Campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our Borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it.”
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
