He was solid when President Trump called Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday morning. Tariffs were inevitable.
“The tariffs will remain,” Shainbaum spoke of the conversation at a press conference a few hours later, citing Trump as saying.
However, the Mexican president pressed her for lawsuit. She sent Trump a chart showing a sharp decline in fentanyl attacks on the US-Mexico border, and tariffs “have results,” she said.
By the end of the call, Trump had relented and agreed to suspend tariffs on Mexican goods.
On social media, Trump announced that Mexico will not have to pay tariffs on anything that falls under the major North American trade agreements until at least April 2nd. He later extended the same suspension to Canada, reversing the enormous 25% tariffs that slapped exports from both countries earlier this week.
“We were successful,” Sinbaum said.
The decision represents a major victory for Mexican leaders and a much-needed boost to the country's slowing economy.
Sinbaum himself acknowledged that there are several forces that may have driven Trump to withdraw the measure, citing business leaders who urged the White House to change courses, negative reactions from the US market, and spurring their country's progress on fentanyl and migration.
However, the suspension reflects the success of Sinbaum's soft-touch strategy that withstanded Trump's theatrical attacks, and somehow won the admiration of his people.
“I respected this as an accommodation and President Sinbaum,” Trump wrote Thursday in Truth Society. “Our relationship was very good.”
He added:
Sinbaum's reaction was just as warm. “Thanks to President Donald Trump, she said in a post on X.
Unlike Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he responded aggressively to Trump's attacks on his country, but Sinbaum was more modest and chose to negotiate quietly through the back channel rather than insulting the public.
Both Canada and China quickly announced retaliation measures after US tariffs occurred this week, but Mexico has postponed and refrained from what was deemed possible provocation while the deal was still possible.
Experts who value the subtle approach note that Canada achieved the same results as Mexico. But they acknowledge that Sinbaum has been cleverly skilled to avoid the stinging responsibilities Trump has visited Trudeau.
“Her strategy is not to fall into provocation, but to be cool head,” said Mexico City-based analyst Carlos Bravo Regidor. “So far, so good.”
Bravo Residor said Sinbaum also played well with domestic audiences, continuing to remind the public that Mexico prioritizes sovereignty and does not submit to anyone. Her approval rate has been filmed above 75%, polls show.
At the same time, she appears to have found a way to connect with Trump on a certain level.
Sinbaum chirped at a press conference on Thursday about how much “respectful” Trump is to Mexico. Trump called her a “great woman.”
On Wednesday, the day before their call, she appeared to have recovered from the initial shock that spread to Mexico after it was revealed he was imposing import duties. She moved into crisis mode, calling it a “decisive moment” for the country, drawing comparisons to the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.
She called for patience and urged national solidarity, suggesting that things could still change.
Earlier in the week, Sinbaum called for national protests as he planned on Sunday to announce Mexico's response to Trump's move, in response to tariffs in Mexico City.
On Thursday, Sinbaum said the event will still be held despite Trump's latest decision. By then, she had called it a “festival” along with the music group.
Miguel Muñoz, Mexican director of global logistics firm Geodis, said many Mexican exporters were eagerly waiting this week to “not lift their fingers” before Sinbaum's call with Trump.
On Thursday, they seemed right to do so.
“What the Chamber of Commerce is praising,” Munoz said, “is the way the president handled this.”
Mexico will be included on April 2, when the US plans to impose mutual tariffs on all countries, Scheinbaum said. But she said, “In Mexico, almost everything is without tariffs.” “We don't charge them any duties and they don't charge us any duties.”
However, questions remained about what would happen in April.
In Canada, this suspension failed to raise the sense of darkness and uneasy mood in the business community. The announcement comes hours after Trudeau warned Canadians that they would be trapped in a trade war with the United States “for a foreseeable future.”
“The consequences Canada needs is not to have this looming tariff threat,” said Dennis Derby, president of Canadian manufacturers and exporters for the industry group.
Derby noted that the president did not provide any assurance that separate steel and aluminum tariffs scheduled to be imposed next week. And it remains unclear to accurately control the mutual tariffs Trump promised to impose on all countries on April 2.
Canadian finance minister Dominique LeBlanc said Canada has suspended plans to impose a second round of retaliatory tariffs following Trump's suspension.
Doug Ford, Canada's most populous Prime Minister of Ontario, has rejected the suspension. “All of this with President Trump is a mess,” Ford told reporters. “We went down this road before. He still threatens tariffs on April 2nd.”
Paulina Villegas contributed reports from Mexico City and Ian Austin in Windsor, Ontario.
