Trump Threatens 25% Escalating Tariffs on Mexican Goods Over Migration

Donald Trump, at a campaign rally in North Carolina, said that he'll tell the Mexican president that, if her administration doesn't "stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country," he will "immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send in to the United States of America."

During his presidency, Trump threatened to close the border with Mexico, or impose tariffs on Mexican-built cars, or impose a 5% tariff on all imports, escalating by 5 percentage points monthly, if they didn't better control drug trafficking and migration (see 1904040030 and 1905310005).

The Senate later passed a bill out of committee that would have barred using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in such a way (see 1908160013).

This time, instead of starting at 5% and increasing each month to 10%, 15%, 20% and stopping at 25%, Trump says he'd start at 25%.

"And it's only got a 100% chance of working, because if that doesn't work, I'll make it 50 and if that doesn't work I'll make it 75 for the tough guys, then I'll make it 100," he said, until they put enough soldiers on the border with Guatemala that it stops migration from Central America and South America.