Mexico President Sheinbaum Vows to Retaliate Against Tariffs in Scathing Letter to Trump

Donald Trump's second term as President of the United States has yet to begin, but signs of tension between him and Mexico's first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, are already emerging. In response to Trump's plans to impose tariffs on Mexico on "day one" of his presidency, Sheinbaum wrote a letter vowing that Mexico would retaliate with tariffs of its own.

During her Tuesday morning press conference, Sheinbaum read aloud a letter addressed to Trump, responding to claims made by the U.S. President-elect on his Truth Social account the previous day. In his posts, Trump accused Mexico and Canada of "bringing crime and drugs" and suggested he would impose "a 25% tariff on all products coming into the United States" starting January 20, the day of his inauguration.

In her letter, Sheinbaum warned that "a tariff will provoke a counter-tariff" on U.S. products, emphasizing that economic sanctions would be ineffective in addressing the drug and immigration crises impacting both nations and would instead "jeopardize shared industries."

"President Trump, the migration phenomenon and drug consumption in the United States will not be addressed through threats or tariffs. Tackling these major challenges requires cooperation and mutual understanding. A tariff will provoke a counter-tariff, and so on, until we jeopardize shared industries. Yes, shared industries—many of Mexico's top exporters to the United States include companies like General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motor Company, which have operated in Mexico for 80 years. Why impose a tax that puts them at risk? It is unacceptable and would lead to inflation and job losses in both the United States and Mexico."

I am convinced that North America's economic strength lies in maintaining our trade partnership so that we can remain competitive against other economic blocs. I believe dialogue is the best path toward understanding, peace, and prosperity for our nations. I hope our teams can meet soon."

Addressing Trump's illegal immigration claims, Sheinbaum wrote that her country's immigration policies helped decrease encounters at the Mexico-U.S. border by 75% between December 2024 and November 2024. She also went on to criticize the United State's budget allocations:

"If a percentage of what the U.S. allocates to war is instead directed toward building peace and development, it would fundamentally address the issue of human mobility."

Moving on to Trump's drug-related accusations, Sheinbaum argued that the U.S. drug epidemic was a national "consumption and public health issue" and expressed her willingness to "help," listing actions Mexico has already taken to combat drug trafficking into the United States.

"So far this year, the Mexican armed forces and prosecutors have seized tons of various drugs, 10,340 firearms, and arrested 15,640 individuals for drug-related violence. Currently, the legislative branch of my country is in the process of approving a constitutional reform to classify the production, distribution, and commercialization of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs as serious crimes without the right to bail."

Sheinbaum's letter also underscored the problem of illegal firearms trafficked from the United States into Mexico, highlighting how these weapons fuel drug-related violence. She pointed out that 70% of the illegal firearms seized from criminals in Mexico originate from the U.S.

"We do not produce the weapons, we do not consume the synthetic drugs, yet we bear the tragic cost in lives lost to violence driven by the demand for drugs in your country.".