President Joe Biden criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday that he would impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, saying the comments were “counterproductive.”
“I hope he reconsiders it, and I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do,” Biden said when asked by a reporter about his reaction to Trump’s announcement.
“The last thing we need to do is start to undermine those relationships,” he said. Biden’s comments came during a Thanksgiving visit to a fire station in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Trump said Post to Truth Social One of his first executive orders on Monday will be to hit Mexico and Canada with 25% tariffs. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Mexico and Canada are the second and third largest suppliers of goods to the United States. The US imports the most goods from China.
“This Tariff will remain in effect until Drugs, especially Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this invasion of our Country!” Trump said in his post.
The president-elect’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s remarks.
During the campaign, Trump often promised more tariffs, esp over China. However, there are some economists criticized the possibility of steep tariffs, argues that costs will ultimately be passed on to consumers.
Trump said that a Wednesday post Truth told Social that he had a “great conversation” with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum: “She has agreed to stop migration into the United States through Mexico, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
But in Scheinbaum account of the conversationhe noted that Mexico’s position was “not to close the borders.”
“In our conversation with President Trump, I explained to him the comprehensive strategy followed by Mexico to solve the phenomenon of migration while respecting human rights.” X said in Spanish. “We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close the borders, but rather to build bridges between the government and the people.”
Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said this Send to X on Wednesday, he spoke with his country’s prime ministers about trade with the United States
“Our focus: Canadian jobs, border security and building our strong partnership with the United States,” he said.
Hannah Peart, Mike Memoli and Julia Jester contributed.