Trump’s tariff leverage stems from Mexico’s fears at home

4 hrs ago

Ruben Navarrette Columnist, host & author

By Straight Arrow News

President Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on Mexico have been delayed by a month after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to deploy an additional 10,000 National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border to “prevent the trafficking of drugs, particularly fentanyl.” Trump said, however, that Mexico’s efforts to stop illegal drugs were not enough to keep his tariffs on hold permanently.

Tariffs are a key part of Trump’s economic strategy, which he claims will boost U.S. manufacturing, protect jobs and grow the economy. Economists estimate that these tariffs will cost the average American family between $800 and $1,200 per year, and warn of broader consequences for the U.S. and global economies.

Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette argues that Trump’s tariff negotiations may have leverage — not because Mexican leaders fear him, but because they fear their own people.

The following is an excerpt from the above video:

They can’t afford to be seen as turning away their own kind, no matter what the circumstances were that led these people to come home. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has even launched a new slogan to welcome back these returning Mexicans. It speaks volumes in English. It translates to: “Mexico embraces you.”

See, that’s the message Sheinbaum wants to convey — that she needs to convey — not just to the returnees, but also to all their family members who still live in Mexico and demand that their relatives be treated with respect. This is the message: We got you. We missed you. We love you, We appreciate you. Welcome home.

How about that? You have to wonder how this story might have unfolded at the beginning. If Mexico had said all those things before their children ran away from home, they may never have left. See, it turns out that it’s not just Trump who should treat these hard-working migrants with more respect. That sort of thing starts at home.

during a recent trip to Mexico, I was reminded of just how little Americans know about that country and the people who live there. The more you see, the more you know. And if Americans had more exposure to the subject matter, well, we wouldn’t be so ignorant. Hey, there’s a solution to our immigration problem. Americans need to welcome in more Mexicans pronto. Then we get to know them. Maybe take them off for Taco Tuesday. By the way, while I acknowledge that a majority of Americans agree that our country has an immigration problem, I don’t think for a minute that Americans can agree on what the problem really is. For Nativists, the problem is too many immigrants. But for businesses that need workers, it’s well, not enough immigrants. If you want to see a real problem, just wait until we get rid of all the Mexicans. And a host of jobs go unfilled because Americans consider those tasks beneath them. Meanwhile, South of the border, a lot of Mexicans are upset at their government for not providing enough opportunities at home so that their sons and daughters don’t have to go north to look for work. This creates a tension between the Mexican government and its citizens. It’s that tension that explains why President Donald Trump is finding it so easy to threaten, manipulate and pressure Mexico and other Latin American countries like Colombia into taking back deportees. As you may recall, the neighborhood bully tried to start a trade war with Mexico and Colombia after the countries balked at the idea of US military planes loaded with deportees landing on their sovereign soil. Apparently, this is something that happened quite often during the Biden years, with one major difference, the former president used commercial planes, not military ones, for trips that were coordinated with the Colombian and Mexican governments. There was more respect back then. The Mexicans and Colombians now feel disrespected by the Trump approach. No, you’re kidding. Get in line, folks. But when the lowly Latin Americans tried to stand up to Trump, he pulled out his favorite weapon, the tariff. He threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Colombia, including coffee. Colombian President Gustavo Petro backed down, claiming that Trump had agreed to show Colombia and its citizens more respect in future dealings. Good luck with that. Amigo Trump is a slippery one. Besides with him, if you’re Brown, you tend to get pushed around. Mexico did, ultimately, along with Canada, get slapped with a 25% tariff, because, according to Trump, both countries should be doing more to act as chaperones and nannies for American youth in order to keep them away from illegal drugs such as fentanyl. No parents need it

if Americans knew more about their neighbors in this hemisphere, they would know that the narrative that Trump got to Colombians and Mexicans to back down is complete and total fiction. Here’s what really happened. Trump managed to box in his neighbors not because they’re afraid of him, but because they’re afraid of their own people. They can’t afford to be seen as turning away their own kind, no matter what the circumstances were that led these people to come home. Mexican president Claudia sheinbaum has even launched a new slogan to welcome back these returning Mexicans. It speaks volumes in English. It translates to Mexico, embraces you see, that’s the message shine bomb wants to convey that. She needs to convey, not just to the returnees, but also to all their family members who still live in Mexico and demand that their relatives be traded with respect. This is the message we got you. We missed you. We love you, we appreciate you. Welcome home. How about that? You have to wonder how this story might have unfolded at the beginning. If Mexico has said all those things before, their children ran away from home, they may never have left. See it turns out that’s not just Trump, who should treat these hard working migrants with more respect. That sort of thing starts at home.