Trump and Mexican president say they had a good call – though no sign of backing down on tariff pledge

By Kit Maher, Abel Alvarado and Steve Contorno, CNN

(CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had a “productive conversation” with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, their first talks since Trump announced tariffs against the US’ southern neighbor.

“Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border. We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs. It was a very productive conversation!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Sheinbaum, though, had previously said that Mexico has worked with the Biden administration to address the flow of migrants through the country, leading to a 75% reduction in border crossings over the past year. And after the call with Trump on Wednesday, she did not outline any new policies she planned to put in place in order to avoid tariffs, focusing instead on how her country had already acted to address the crisis.

It is not yet clear what will come of the disconnect between Trump’s quick victory lap and Sheinbaum’s promotion of the status quo. Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond when asked by CNN if he still intended to hit the US southern neighbor with a 25% tariff when he takes office. Nor did Sheinbaum suggest she had received assurances from Trump that he was backing down from the threat.

But the episode was reminiscent of Trump’s first term as president, when his bombastic rhetoric surrounding his dealings with Mexico did not always match the situation on the ground. Trump, for example, pledged to build a wall along the southern border and have Mexico pay for it. Under Trump, the US ultimately constructed 458 miles of border barriers, including 373 miles of wall replacing dilapidated or outdated structures. The total fell short of the 1,000 miles Trump repeatedly asserted was needed, and Mexico did not pay for it.

The call between Trump and Sheinbaum comes after the president-elect promised to slap a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, and in his comments Wednesday, Trump did not say whether he would stand by the pledge or anything Sheinbaum had said addressed his concerns.

In a post on X, Sheinbaum said she told Trump that migrant caravans are not arriving to the US border because they are being “addressed” in Mexico.

“In our conversation with President Trump, I explained to him the comprehensive strategy that Mexico has followed to address the migration phenomenon, respecting human rights,” Sheinbaum posted. “Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they arrive at the border. We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”

Trump on Monday promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China starting on the first day of his administration. The move, Trump said, will be in retaliation for illegal immigration and “crime and drugs” coming across the border.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”

Sheinbaum responded to the social media post with a fiery letter of her own in which she suggested Mexico would retaliate with counter-tariffs if Trump went through with his threat.

The early interactions between Trump and the Mexican leader will be closely monitored as he prepares to implement his long-promised plan to end undocumented migration into the US and deport those who have entered the country illegally.

Trump’s team is already considering executive action to bring back a program informally known as “remain in Mexico,” which requires migrants to stay in Mexico during their immigration proceedings in the US.

Sheinbaum previously said she had a “cordial” call with Trump shortly after his electoral victory where they discussed the “good relationship” between Mexico and the US, according to a post on X.

Sheinbaum wasn’t the only leader reaching out to Trump following his pledge on tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump shortly after his social media post on Monday, an official with the prime minister’s office said. The brief call was focused on border security and trade, a senior Canadian government source told CNN. They characterized the call as productive and said that Trudeau and Trump promised to stay in touch in the days to come.

Responding to Trump’s announcement, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said his country has been in communication with the US about counternarcotics operations and that “the idea of China knowingly allowing fentanyl precursors to flow into the United States runs completely counter to facts and reality.”

“About the issue of US tariffs on China, China believes that China-Us economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature. No one will win a trade war or a tariff war,” Liu said in a statement to CNN.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Sol Amaya, David Goldman and Paula Newton contributed to this report.

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