MEXICO CITY (CN) - After a Thursday morning phone call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to spare Mexico from increased tariffs once again-this time for 90 days. Trump said he would not go through with his plan to raise tariffs on all Mexican imports to 30% on Aug. 1.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump noted in a positive tone the complex relationship between the two nations explaining his decision to pause the planned tariff in order to reach a trade agreement within the next three months.
"I have just concluded a telephone conversation with the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, which was very successful in that, more and more, we are getting to know and understand each other. The complexities of a Deal with Mexico are somewhat different than other Nations because of both the problems, and assets, of the Border," Trump wrote before noting the other tariffs currently in place.
Mexican automobile imports are currently subject to a 25% tariff which led to the shuttering of some assembly plants in Mexico. Mexico is also subject to a 50% tariff on steel, aluminum and copper and 17% tariff on tomatoes after a long-established tomato agreement between the two countries ended July 14.
Sheinbaum said the 40-minute phone call went very well and expressed her hope for a continued dialogue.
"The agreement we made does not imply any additional action on the part of Mexico, we simply stay as we are and continue talking," Sheinbaum said. "President Trump treats us with respect on every call, and so do we. We may disagree, but there is respect."
While Sheinbaum and Trump's relationship has remained cordial, Trump's preoccupation with organized crime south of the border has remained on the top of his list and the justification for his prior tariffs and tariff threats.
This past February, Trump claimed the Mexican government has an "intolerable alliance" with drug trafficking organizations - a claim that Sheinbaum vehemently denied - and issued a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico that never came to fruition.
Since then, Trump has engaged in a back and forth of threats demanding action from Mexico resulting in tightened border security and arrests from the Mexican government.
In response to Trump's February tariff threats, Sheinbaum began "Operation Frontera Norte" which has resulted in the arrests of 5,580 people and seizure of close to 115,000 pounds of drugs in border states, according to the latest government data.
Ten months into her presidency, Sheinbaum has been lauded for her handling of Trump but has also faced numerous scandals at home and heightened tension with the U.S. government.
Her ruling Morena party is embroiled in an ongoing corruption scandal involving current Senate leader Adan Augusto Lopez and his former head of security, Hernan Bermdez Requena, while Augusto Lopez was Tabasco state governor.
Bermdez Requena is on the run after prosecutors issued an arrest warrant over his suspected founding of the criminal group, La Barredora- an offshoot of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
On July 19, the U.S. Department of Transportation said they would restrict flights from Mexico because the Mexican government forced cargo planes to relocate from Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport to its Felipe Angeles International Airport 31 miles away in 2022 in order to ease congestion.
The U.S. Department of Transportation claimed Mexico broke the bilateral agreement between the two countries when they made this switch.
In June, Sheinbaum defended various Mexican banks against U.S. Treasury Department claims of money laundering in connection with cartels resulting in heavy sanctions.
Also in June, Sheinbaum's Morena party fast-tracked a package of security and intelligence reforms allowing the military to collect personal data which some call legalized espionage.
Source: Courthouse News Service
