Trump Claims Victory Over Canada, Mexico After Getting … Basically Nothing 

Donald Trump has temporarily delayed the implementation of tariffs against Mexico and Canada after speaking to the leaders of both nations on Monday. The president made a show of detailing the supposed concessions made by the neighboring nations in order to gain his mercy — but most of the agreements were already in place before this weekend’s trade dispute. 

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Mexico had “agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States,” and that Canada will “implement their $1.3 Billion Border plan,” as well as place “nearly 10,000 personnel” on the border, “appoint a Fentanyl Czar, […] list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the Border, [and] launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.” 

None of this is particularly new, and most of the agreements that supposedly inspired the tariff delay were already in place. Canada touted the placement of 8,500 border enforcement personnel in December 2024. The $1.3 billion border plan touted by Trump was also announced in December, more than a month before he assumed office. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Tuesday that nearly 10,000 personnel “are and will be” working on the border, indicating that nothing is new here.

Mexico managed to gain its own win from their dealings with Trump. President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to deploy 10,000 troops to the border if the U.S. agreed to crack down on the smuggling of guns and other weaponry into Mexico. The Mexican government doesn’t have to do much to uphold its end of the bargain, however, as it already has over 15,000 troops along the border, as of 2019. 

In a statement posted Sunday, Sheinbaum took the White House to task for portraying Mexico as a lawless criminal state while ignoring their own role in fomenting cartel violence. The Mexican president noted that, according to ATF statistics, 74 percent of the firearms recovered from Mexican cartels in Mexico originated from the United States military industrial complex. Sheinbaum also noted that while Mexico had partnered with the U.S. to decrease the trafficking of fentanyl into the United States, the U.S. has failed to treat their own long standing domestic addiction epidemic. “Mexico doesn’t want a confrontation,” she said. “If the United States wants to fight criminal groups and wants us to do it together, we must work in an integrated manner but always under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, collaboration and, above all, respect for sovereignty.” 

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“Sovereignty is not negotiable. Coordination yes, subordination no,” Sheinbaum added.

Critically, neither country made concessions to Trump on Monday regarding their trade balance — a condition Trump laid out as a requirement in order to prevent the 25 percent tariff from going into effect.  “They have to balance out their trade, No. 1,” the president said Sunday. Trump has long touted tariffs as a way to prevent other nations from ripping America off economically, but this didn’t seem to be an issue on Monday. 

Republicans and the Trump administration have long touted Trump as an expert dealmaker, capable of giving his adversaries the runaround with little effort. In light of the brief trade dispute, conservative media hailed Trump as a conquering victor over America’s North American neighbors. “Canada is bending the knee, just like Mexico,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) struggled to defend Trump’s deal with Canada and Mexico as a win for the president during an interview on CNN later in the day. 

“Is there a tangible concession in your view?” host Kaitlan Collins asked. 

“Yeah, absolutely,” Davidson replied, noting the supposed “commitment from Trudeau that wasn’t there to help with fentanyl.”

Collins pointed out that that plan had actually been announced “six weeks ago.” 

“Well, at least he’s reiterated it,” Davidson demured. 

The tactic by Trump is obvious: work nations and investors into a frenzy over a potential trade dispute that would actively harm Americans, only to swoop in at the last moment and cast himself as a master negotiator and savior of the populace.