A barrage of condemnation has rained down on United States President Donald Trump following his decision to impose stiff tariffs on imports from neighbouring countries, Mexico and Canada, as well as its largest supplier of goods, China.
Sunday saw no pause in the expression of criticism on the US leader, a day after he signed three separate executive orders, imposing 25 percent on goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10 percent on all imports from China.
Trump has justified his sweeping decision, citing a national emergency of fentanyl and “illegal” immigration pouring into the world’s largest economy by gross domestic product (GDP).
Reactions from Mexico, Canada and China were the most immediate, as well as a raft of other nations, groups and organisations:
Mexico
President Claudia Sheinbaum ordered retaliatory tariffs against Trump’s decision. In a lengthy post on X, she said her government sought dialogue rather than confrontation with its top trade partner to the north, but that Mexico had been forced to respond in kind.
“I’ve instructed my economy minister to implement the Plan B we’ve been working on, which includes tariff and non-tariff measures in defense of Mexico’s interests,” Sheinbaum posted, without specifying what US goods her government will target.
Sheinbaum also rejected as “slander” the White House’s allegation that drug cartels have an alliance with the Mexican government, a point Trump’s administration used to justify the tariffs.
The Mexican president also spoke to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a call on Saturday, where they agreed to “continue working together in areas of common interest”, according to a read-out from Canada.
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on X that Trump’s tariffs were a “flagrant violation” of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
“It is one of the heaviest attacks Mexico has received in its independent history. It is not admissible, it cannot be accepted, a unilateral decision of such magnitude … We are all going to lose, they will too,” Ricardo Monreal, the governing party congressional leader, said.
The US is by far Mexico’s most important foreign market. Mexico overtook China as the top destination for US exports in 2023. Almost a third of Mexico’s GDP depends directly on exports to the US, economic analyst Gabriela Siller wrote on X.
US exports to Mexico accounted for more than $322bn in 2023, Census Bureau data showed, while the US imported more than $475bn worth of Mexican products.
Mexico has been preparing possible retaliatory tariffs – ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent – on pork, cheese, fresh produce, manufactured steel and aluminium, according to sources familiar with the matter. The auto industry would initially be exempt, they said.
Canada
Trudeau announced retaliatory measures, with 25 percent levies on a raft of US imports, including beer, wine and bourbon, as well as fruits and fruit juices, including orange juice from Trump’s home state of Florida.
Canada would also target goods, including clothing, sport equipment and household appliances. Some of those tariffs will take effect on Tuesday, the same day as Trump’s tariffs.
Trudeau said the coming weeks would be difficult for Canadians but that Americans would also suffer from Trump’s actions.
“Tariffs against Canada will put your jobs at risk, potentially shutting down American auto assembly plants and other manufacturing facilities,” Trudeau said during a news conference in Ottawa.
“They will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery store and gas at the pump.”
The 9,000km (5,600-mile) US-Canada border handles more than $2.5bn in trade a day, especially in energy and manufacturing, according to Canadian government data from 2023.
“An attack of this magnitude, Canadians will demand that their government respond. I hope Americans understand right now that in Canada there’s a lot of anger. We are supposed to be the United States’s closest ally, and folks are trying to wrap their heads around why this is happening,” said Lana Payne, head of Unifor, representing Canadian autoworkers.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said Trump’s tariffs are a “complete betrayal of the historic bond between our countries and a declaration of economic war against a trusted ally”.
“As British Columbians, and as Canadians, we will stand strong and united in the face of this unprecedented attack,” he said