'This is about fentanyl': Tariffs are crucial to combating 'drug war,' Trump and Cabinet officials say

The Trump medication is billing the caller tariffs connected Mexico, Canada and China arsenic captious to preventing fentanyl and different drugs from pouring into the U.S. border, alternatively than a measurement successful an planetary commercialized war. 

President Donald Trump is imposing a 25% tariff connected each goods entering the United States from Mexico and Canada; a 10% tariff connected Canadian energy; and a 10% tariff connected each goods entering the U.S. from China. Those tariffs are acceptable to spell into effect Tuesday astatine midnight. 

TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, ACCUSES CANADA OF BEING 'VERY ABUSIVE OF THE UNITED STATES'

The president spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday morning, helium said, and is expected to talk to him again astatine 3 p.m. ET connected Monday. 

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters arsenic helium signs enforcement orders successful the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Canada doesn’t adjacent let U.S. Banks to unfastened oregon bash concern there," Trump posted connected his Truth Social Monday. "What’s that each about? Many specified things, but it’s besides a DRUG WAR, and hundreds of thousands of radical person died successful the U.S. from drugs pouring done the Borders of Mexico and Canada." 

The president besides spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Monday greeting – a speech that led to Trump delaying the imposition of tariffs connected Mexico for 1 month. 

"It was a precise affable speech wherein she agreed to instantly proviso 10,000 Mexican Soldiers connected the Border separating Mexico and the United States," Trump posted connected his Truth Social. "These soldiers volition beryllium specifically designated to halt the travel of fentanyl, and amerciable migrants into our Country." 

"We further agreed to instantly intermission the anticipated tariffs for a 1 period play during which we volition person negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico," Trump wrote. "I look guardant to participating successful those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, arsenic we effort to execute a ‘deal’ betwixt our 2 Countries." 

'OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC': BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES

On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance echoed a akin sentiment regarding drugs, posting connected X that Mexico "sends tons of fentanyl into our country. Canada has seen a monolithic summation successful fentanyl trafficking crossed its border." 

"There are 3 ways of stopping this," Vance wrote. "The archetypal is inquire nicely, which we’ve done. It’s gone nary where." 

He added: "Now we’re onto the consequences phase." 

And Interior Secretary Doug Burgum connected Monday said the imposition of tariffs "isn’t a commercialized warfare with Canada, oregon Mexico oregon China." 

TRUMP IMPOSES TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA: 'NATIONAL EMERGENCY'

"This is astir fentanyl," Burgum said connected "Fox & Friends." "We’ve had a wide penetration of our country. We’ve been taking wide casualties. We suffer astir 300 radical a time to overdose deaths." 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago successful Florida successful November 2024 to sermon topics similar the economy, amerciable migration and tariffs. (Justin Trudeau X)

Burgum added: "President Trump wants to extremity this." 

The president authorized the tariffs successful an enforcement bid connected Saturday. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 25% further tariff volition beryllium levied connected imports from Canada and Mexico, with a 10% tariff connected imports from China.

In the enforcement order, Trump said the tariffs stem from an "extraordinary menace posed by amerciable aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, [that] constitutes a nationalist emergency."

The tariffs person invited planetary disapproval from leaders and citizens alike successful Canada and Mexico. During his speech with reporters connected Sunday evening, Trump accused Canada of being "abusive" toward the U.S. successful presumption of trade.

CANADA, MEXICO ANNOUNCE RETALIATORY TARIFFS ON US IMPORTS IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP'S TARIFFS ON AMERICAN NEIGHBORS

"Canada has been precise abusive of the United States for galore years. They don't let our banks," Trump said. "And you cognize that Canada does not let banks to spell in, if you deliberation astir it. That's beauteous amazing. If we person a U.S. bank, they don't let them to spell in."

"Canada has been precise pugnacious for lipid connected energy. They don't let our workplace products in, essentially. They don't let a batch of things in. And we let everything to travel successful arsenic being a one-way street."

Fentanyl seized successful Nogales, Arizona. Border agents and officers seized much than 1,900 pounds of the illicit cause successful October 2022. (Customs and Border Patrol)

Trump besides said that the U.S. subsidizes Canada "by the tune of astir $200 cardinal a year."

"And for what? What bash we get retired of it? We don't get thing retired of it," helium added. "I emotion the radical of Canada. I disagree with the enactment of Canada and thing is going to hap there."

But successful a connection connected Saturday, Sheinbaum said her state "categorically reject[s] the White House's slander against the Mexican authorities of having alliances with transgression organizations, arsenic good arsenic immoderate volition of involution successful our territory."

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"Mexico not lone does not privation fentanyl to scope the United States, but anywhere," the connection read. "Therefore, if the United States wants to combat transgression groups that postulation drugs and make violence, we indispensable enactment unneurotic successful an integrated manner, but ever nether the principles of shared responsibility, communal trust, collaboration and, supra all, respect for sovereignty, which is not negotiable."

Canada's Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to "buy Canada," and announcing his ain acceptable of tariffs connected $20 cardinal "of goods imported from the United States," including produce, meats and cheeses. 

"Now is the clip to take products made close present successful Canada," Trudeau wrote connected X. "Check the labels. Let’s bash our part. Wherever we can, take Canada."