By Mena Yousef | March 4, 2025 | 12:05 AM PST
Washington, D.C. — President Trump unleashed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico imports Monday, wielding the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to tackle what he calls a “national emergency” of drugs and illegals flooding America’s borders. It’s a MAGA-fueled gut punch to weak-kneed trade deals.
- Why it’s a win: The White House nails Mexico’s cartel cesspool and Canada’s fentanyl “super labs” as existential threats. Tariffs force accountability, protecting American lives and jobs from foreign freeloaders.
- The breakdown: All goods get hit, save Canada’s energy (10% tariff)—a nod to strategic priorities. Trump’s kept his campaign vow to end the border bleed-out, spotlighting Mexico’s narco-chaos and Canada’s drug hypocrisy.
- Hard facts: The U.S. hemorrhaged over $1 trillion in trade deficits in 2023—Canada and Mexico gorged on the profits. Fentanyl from the north could wipe out 9.5 million Americans, says the administration.
- Globalists complain: Markets dipped (S&P 500 -2%), and globalists cry “trade war” as Canada and Mexico threaten retaliation. But conservatives cheer Trump’s spine—higher prices for lumber or avocados beat ceding sovereignty to drug lords.
Bottom line: Trump’s tariffs are red-meat America First policy, slamming the door on foreign exploitation.