U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a tariff hike, imposing a 25 percent increase on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10 percent rise on goods from China.
According to reports, Trump stated that the move aligns with his campaign promises to safeguard American interests.
In a late-night post on his Truth Social account on Saturday, he emphasized that the tariff adjustments would help protect the country from illegal immigration and the influx of dangerous drugs harming U.S. citizens.
“I have implemented a 25% Tariff on Imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian Energy), and a 10% additional Tariff on China.
“This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our Citizens, including fentanyl.”
“We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all. 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 favour of it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has threatened to reciprocate tariff increases on US goods.
In a brief statement on his X handle, on Saturday, Trudeau noted that Canada was not expecting a trade conflict with the US, but would respond.
“The United States has confirmed that it intends to impose 25% tariffs on most Canadian goods, with 10% tariffs on energy, starting February 4.
“I’ve met with the Premiers and our Cabinet today, and I’ll be speaking with President Sheinbaum of Mexico shortly.
“We did not want this, but Canada is prepared. I’ll be addressing Canadians later this evening,” he wrote.