On the “Trump Risk Index” developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Mexico ranked as “the most exposed country overall” to expected policy changes during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president.
Trump’s return to the White House is now just five days away, and Mexico could be affected almost immediately as the U.S. president-elect has pledged to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports on the first day of his presidency and promptly put his mass deportation plan into action.
At her morning press conference on Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about how her government will attempt to ward off the proposed tariff, and reiterated that Mexico is ready to receive Mexicans deported from the United States.
President hopes to avert US tariffs through dialogue
A reporter noted that Trump announced on social media that he will “create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources.”
Asked how the federal government would “combat” Trump’s pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports to the United States, Sheinbaum responded that her administration would “have dialogue with the United States government,” but didn’t say how soon it would occur.
Trump’s tariff threat “is something that is not new,” she said.
“He has said it several times and we, in that sense, don’t agree,” Sheimbaum said.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said that “through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves.”
Sheinbaum on Wednesday said that the USMCA free trade pact “has benefited the United States a lot” in terms of jobs and production.
“And really, in the case of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, we complement each other,” she added.
Sheinbaum also reiterated her belief that the integration of the Mexican, U.S. and Canadian economies allows North America to “better compete” with other regions of the world.
The objective of the Mexican government is to expand that integration to “other countries of the Americas,” she said.
Sheinbaum reiterates that Mexico is ready to receive deportees
Sheinbaum said earlier this month that the federal government’s plan to receive large numbers of deportees from the United States during Trump’s second term as president is “ready.”
On Wednesday, she reiterated that the government is prepared to welcome Mexicans expelled from the United States.
“Of course, we don’t agree [with Trump’s mass deportation plan] and that’s why we defend the work of Mexicans in the United States who contribute to the Mexican economy [with remittances] but contribute more to the economy of the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
“But in the case of a decision by the United States government [to deport immigrants en masse] we are prepared,” she said.
“We’re going to present [the government’s plan] in due course, we don’t need to release it in advance. We’ve been working now for several months … in order to be able to welcome our compatriots in the best way in the case of there being deportations,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum: Pemex’s debt with suppliers will be paid off in March
Sheinbaum said that money owed to suppliers of state oil company Pemex will be completely paid off in March.
A “special strategy” was formulated to settle debts with suppliers, she said.
“In March we’ll finish paying. … We’re paying now, in February and in March,” Sheinbaum said.
Mexico News Daily reported in December that some suppliers and service providers for Pemex were facing severe financial difficulties as the beleaguered company had fallen behind on payments.
Pemex has total debt of close to US $100 billion.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
