Mexico

Sheinbaum thinks Trump tariff won’t happen: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

The Mexican government, the Mexican export sector and the Mexican people got some good news Wednesday about Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

Howard Lutnick, United States President Donald Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, said that Mexico and Canada can avoid blanket 25% tariffs on their exports — as Trump has pledged to impose — if they act quickly to stop the flow of fentanyl to the U.S.

Howard Lutnick is Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. commerce secretary. (Screenshot/U.S. Senate)

“This is a separate tariff to create action from Mexico and action from Canada and as far as I know, they are acting swiftly, and if they execute it, there will be no tariff. And if they don’t, there will be,” Lutnick said at his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing.

Mexican officials have stressed that they are already taking strong action against narcotics, touting arrests of high-profile cartel figures and large drug seizures, including the confiscation of more than 1 tonne of fentanyl in two busts in Sinaloa last month.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has said on repeated occasions that she expects to reach an agreement with the United States government to avert Trump’s proposed 25% tariff.

At her morning press conference on Wednesday — held before Lutnick’s confirmation hearing — she remained confident that Mexico would avoid the 25% duty that Trump said his administration could impose on Mexican and Canadian exports on Feb. 1.

Donald Trump standing against a blue background in a dark blue suit and tie and clapping
While Trump’s circle has put out conflicting messages this week about the inevitability of Trump’s 25% tariff on Mexico, President Sheinbaum told reporters Wednesday she’s convinced it won’t happen. (Ron Sachs/Consolidated News via Shutterstock) Credit: Ron Sachs – CNP

Confident that Trump’s tariff threat won’t eventuate 

A reporter noted that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Trump still intended to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian exports to the United States this Saturday.

“The truth is we don’t think it’s going to happen,” Sheinbaum said.

“And if it does happen we have our plan … that I’ll reveal in due course,” she said. “But we don’t think it will happen.”

Sheinbaum said in November that Mexico would impose a retaliatory tariff on U.S. exports if Trump acted on his threat, but more recently she has focused on avoiding the commencement of a trade war.

She said Wednesday that her government is now engaged in dialogue with the Trump administration before stressing, once again, that she doesn’t believe the proposed 25% tariff will eventuate.

A letter to Google over Gulf of Mexico name change 

Sheinbaum said that the government would send a letter to Google after the tech company announced it would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” in Google Maps in the United States following President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the body of water.

“If you remember, Trump’s decree has to do with the continental shelf, which is different to the Gulf as a whole,” she said.

“So we’re sending a letter to Google,” Sheinbaum said, explaining that one of its aims would be to ensure that the company is aware of “this international division.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in a dark suit standing at the presidential podium during a press conference in the National Palace press briefing room. She is standing in front of a projection screen displaying posts from Google's X social media page about the Gulf of Mexico's impending name change on Google Maps
Sheinbaum told reporters Wednesday that Mexico’s government will petition Google Maps to use the name “Mexican America” in certain searches. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

“… Tomorrow, we’ll show you the letter that we’re going to send today,” she said.

“… To change the name of an international sea it’s not a country that changes it, it’s an international organization,” the president added, referring to the International Hydrographic Organization.

“… And, by the way, we’re going to ask [Google] for Mexican America to appear [on Google Maps], for the map of Mexican America to appear when one types in Mexican America,” Sheinbaum said.

After Trump announced his intention to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America earlier this month, Sheinbaum proposed calling the United States — or at least the country’s southwest — “Mexican America,” as part of the U.S. was referred to on a 17th-century map she presented.

Esteban Moctezuma to remain as Mexican ambassador to US

Sheinbaum confirmed that Ambassador Esteban Moctezuma — federal education minister during the first two years of the 2018-24 government led by ex-president Andrés Manuel López Obrador — will remain as Mexico’s top diplomat in the United States “for the time being.”

US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, left, Mexico Ambassador to U.S. Esteban Moctezuma, right
Mexico Ambassador to the U.S. Esteban Moctezuma, right, with former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, left, at the North American Leaders’ Conference in 2023. (Photo: @USAmbMex/Twitter)

“All the ambassadors are always under review. … We’re going to look at whether there will be a change or not,” she said.

Moctezuma, who became ambassador in early 2021, said in a video message on Tuesday that his “responsibility” and “conviction” is to “stand up for Mexico,” and “especially our people” during the second Trump administration.

“… I am a soldier for Mexico and we’re living in times that call for unity in order to defend our people and our national interests,” he said.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

Source: Mexico News Daily

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