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United States President Donald Trump asserted this Friday that Mexico has nothing to offer his country other than "spicy tamales and tomatoes," although he explained that he does not intend to interrupt the trade relationship because he gets along "very well" with his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum.
Trump referred to his southern neighbor while answering questions from reporters in the Oval Office regarding his threat to cut off trade with nations that maintain a trade surplus with the United States.
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"If I stopped trading with them, we wouldn't lose anything. A single signature would suffice. We lose 195 billion dollars a year with Mexico. They have nothing that we really need. I mean, (they have) spicy tamales, tomatoes, a couple of things... but basically, they have nothing that we need," he stated.
The president insisted that the United States possesses all the necessary resources: "We have oil, we have everything," he said.
He also boasted of his good relationship with Sheinbaum and assured that he does not intend to break historical trade ties with Mexico.
"I don't want to do that because we get along very well with the president. We like the president, we respect her a lot," he added.
The Republican also alluded to the tension between the U.S. and Canada, fueled by the breakdown of bilateral trade dialogue, the imposition of U.S. tariffs of 50% on 20 billion dollars of Canadian products, and Ottawa's response with similar tariffs, which will take effect next week.
This situation calls into question the future of the USMCA free trade agreement signed by the three North American countries in 2018, one of the main frameworks for the bilateral economic relationship between Mexico and the U.S.
Last Tuesday, the Mexican president asserted that, although the relationship with Washington has had "its difficulties," she trusts in reaching an "understanding" in the areas of security and trade.
"In terms of trade, we have a permanent dialogue with the United States government and we hope to reach an understanding,” Sheinbaum stated from the National Palace.
The most recent USMCA trade review round was held in July in Mexico City, where trade representatives from both nations addressed issues such as tariffs on the automotive industry, steel, and aluminum, as well as agriculture and other topics such as economic security.
After that meeting, the United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, and the Mexican Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, agreed to continue conversations in September. EFE
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