Mexican Secretary of the Economy Marcelo Ebrard highlighting the potential impacts of Trump’s tariffs on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Photo: Presidencia

By KELIN DILLON

During Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s (CSP) daily morning press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 27, CSP and Mexican Secretary of the Economy Marcelo Ebrard announced a strategy to address U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed 25 percent tariff on Mexican goods and highlighted their potential impact on the U.S. economy.

The Mexican economic chief said the Sheinbaum administration would present a several-point plan to the Trump government to avoid the U.S. implementing tariffs on Mexican goods altogether.

“The choice on the table is between fragmenting ourselves with tariffs, weakening our economies, or building together a strong, competitive region prepared to lead the future,” said Ebrard.

As part of the strategy to avoid tariffs, Ebrard proposed dual cooperation between the United States and Mexico on the matters of security and migration to enhance security, collaborate on the creation of well-paying jobs to foster economic prosperity between both countries and optimize supply chains and keep production costs low to maintain North America’s position at the top of global markets.

However, if the United States does choose to implement the 25 percent tariffs on Trump’s first day in office as previously threatened, it would be a “shot in the foot” to the U.S. economy, warned Ebrard.

The head of the Mexican economy pointed out that most major U.S. automakers, including General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford, manufacture cars and parts in Mexico.

“When the president says, ‘I’m going to put a 25% tax on Mexico because it exports too much to the United States,’ what he is saying is that we are going to put a tax on the most important North American companies in the world,” said Ebard.

Using data in collaboration with the automotive industry, Ebrard noted that if Trump successfully implemented his tariffs on Mexico, the United States would lose approximately 400,000 jobs on American soil and raise the price of the average pick-up truck by $3,000.

For her part, Sheinbaum said her administration is currently seeking a meeting with Trump’s team to discuss the neighboring nations’ bilateral issues and address Trump’s concerns head-on.