Trump’s tariffs will hurt Mexico – and America

WHEN Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took office last year, she faced a daunting set of political and economic challenges: rising debt, fiscal deficits, rampant drug-cartel violence and an escalating crisis at the US border. As if that were not enough, US President Donald Trump has threatened sweeping tariffs on Mexican imports which, if imposed, could cripple Mexico’s economy and further destabilise its political system.

The loss of half its territory following the US invasion of 1846, which marked the beginning of the Mexican-American War, remains deeply ingrained in Mexico’s public consciousness. Given this historical trauma, it is no surprise that Trump’s recent actions have triggered widespread outrage in Mexico.

Over the past six weeks, Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and threatened military intervention on Mexican territory, citing Mexico’s failure to stop migrants and fentanyl from crossing the border.