Trump set to impose new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China

Trump will impose new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China this weekend, the White House said Friday, countering media reports that suggested the timeline had been delayed.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to move forward with a Saturday deadline for tariff hikes on major trading partners Canada, Mexico, and China, the White House said Friday.

“I can confirm that tomorrow, the February 1st deadline that President Trump set several weeks ago, continues,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated.

The tariffs will take effect Saturday, including a 25% import duty on all goods from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% penalty on imports from China.

Leavitt said the tariffs are being imposed “for the illegal fentanyl that they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country.”

“These are promises made and promises kept,” she added.

Trump’s confirmation that he will stick to the original timeline comes after media reports claimed that he would postpone the tariffs until March 1. The tariffs are expected to trigger retaliatory measures on U.S. goods from the targeted nations, which are the U.S.’s top three trading partners.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested earlier Friday that her country has a series of responses ready if Trump imposes new import duties.

“We have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, depending on what the government of the United States decides. It is very important for the people of Mexico to know that we will always defend the dignity of our people, that we will always defend respect for our sovereignty, and engage in dialogue as equals, as we have always stated, without subordination,” Sheinbaum told reporters.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also vowed to carry out “a purposeful, forceful, but reasonable, immediate response” if the tariffs are imposed.

“And of course, everything is on the table,” he added.