Trump Places Mexican Tariffs on Hold After Sheinbaum Pledges to Stop Fentanyl Trafficking

The looming trade war between America and Mexico appears to be over before it began. President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on Mexican goods that were slated to go into effect Tuesday will be delayed for a month as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged her government would do more to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

The two leaders seemed to strike a deal on a phone call Monday morning. Shortly after the call with Trump, Sheinbaum announced on X that she had reached an agreement with him.

“We had a good conversation with President Trump with much respect to our relationship and sovereignty,” wrote Sheinbaum in Spanish. “We reached a series of agreements.”

Sheinbaum proceeded to list the four agreements: 10,000 members of the Mexican National Guard to stop drug trafficking at the border, a commitment from the United States to prevent arms trafficking into Mexico, cooperation between the two nations on commerce and security, and a pause on tariffs for one month.

Trump also announced a temporary resolution of the tensions.

“We … agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one-month period during which we will have a negotiation headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.

Vice President JD Vance chimed in with his own celebration of Sheinbaum’s concessions, writing on X, “For three days a lot of the far left has actively rooted against America and argued we’d get nothing out of President [Trump’s] demands that Mexico secure its country. Well, how do you like them apples?”

The negotiation brings calm to what was an escalating feud between Sheinbaum and Trump, just a day after Sheinbaum said on X that she rejected the “slander” of the White House and laid much of the blame for the fentanyl crisis on the American government.

Sheinbaum’s willingness to take on responsibility for the security of the U.S.-Mexico border is a full-circle moment for Trump, who began his 2016 presidential campaign with a promise that he would build a wall on the southern border, and pledged, “I will have Mexico pay for that wall, mark my words.”

Trump’s tariffs against China and Canada, also partly predicated on fentanyl trafficking, are still set to go into effect Tuesday.