Former U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

By KELIN DILLON

On Monday, Nov. 4, just one day before U.S. presidential elections, Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to levy a 25 percent tariff on Mexico if Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (CSP) fails to stop the flow of migrants and drugs from Mexico to the United States.

“If you don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately put a 25 percent tariff on everything you send into the United States,” Trump said during a campaign rally in North Carolina.

“If it doesn’t work, 50 percent. If that doesn’t work, 75 percent, and if that doesn’t work, 100 percent,” he continued.

Trump’s new statement joins his previous threat to put a 100 percent tariff on all Chinese automobiles manufactured in Mexico; however, there is no record of any Chinese vehicles being manufactured on Mexican soil.

“Do you know that Mexico is our number one trading partner? Do you know why that is? They make a fortune. They have taken over our country,” continued Trump, adding that Mexico “has become our number one trading partner and they are ripping us off left and right, it’s ridiculous.”

The former U.S. president also boasted about making Mexico pay for the deployment of soldiers to the border during his administration from 2017 to 2021.

“Mexico paid for the soldiers,” said Trump at the time. “They paid us so much.”

Trump went on to highlight his relationship with former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) while conceding AMLO “was a socialist… You can’t have everything.”

As for his relationship with Sheinbaum, Trump said, “They say she is very nice, I don’t know her.”

The future of U.S.-Mexico trade relations now hangs in the balance, awaiting the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5.