The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the'imposition of duties of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico starting from February 1st, reiterating his tough line against America’s two main trading partners. “We really have to do this, because we have very large trade deficits with these countries,” Trump said during a meeting at the White House.
The question of oil, however, remains open. The President confirmed that the decision regarding the possible tariffs on crude oil and derivatives will be taken in the next few hours: “Maybe yes maybe no. We will probably make a decision on oil tonight.” According to a congressional report, Canada and Mexico account for 71% of crude oil imports of the United States, with Canada alone covering 60%.
For ChinaInstead, duties will be 10%. Trump accused Beijing of sending fentanyl to the United States and warned that if it does not end this practice, new tariffs will be imposed.
Meanwhile, the European Union is watching Trump's moves while waiting to find out when it will be its turn. On the issue of duties destined for Europe, the White House has made clear that the president has not yet made a decision on the timing. Answering reporters in the Oval Office, Trump implied that theintroduction of tariffs is inevitable: “Do you want the real answer or the political one?” he asked, before assuring that the duties will be applied because “Europe has treated us very badly“He added that while there may be short-term inconvenience, “people will understand… the tariffs will make us very rich.”
Trump, BRICS in the crosshairs: 100% tariffs if they leave the dollar
Trump then raised the stakes against BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), threatening 100% tariffs on all their exports to the United States if decide to create an alternative currency to the dollar for international trade. “The idea that the BRICS countries are trying to move away from the dollar while we stand by is over,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
The BRICS group is working towards greater financial independence for some time from the system based on the dollar, a project that Washington sees it as a direct threat to its economic hegemony. Trump reiterated that the United States will not tolerate this move: “We will demand a commitment from these seemingly hostile countries not to create a new BRICS currency, or they will face 100% tariffs and will have to say goodbye to selling in the wonderful US economy.”
La harsher reaction It arrived from Brazil, where the president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced a possible retaliation: “If Trump increases duties on Brazilian products, there will be reciprocity.”
The Gulf of Mexico is changing its name (at least in the US)
In addition to trade issues and the rejection of immigrants, the tension between the United States and Mexico è also fueled by geography. Trump has obtained, in fact, the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America”. As of Monday, Google has updated the name of the area on Google Maps for U.S. users. The company explained that the change follows an executive order which requires the adoption of this new official denomination, which will be visible once the Geographic Names Information System, the official repository of geographic names of the United States, is updated. Mexican users will continue to see “Gulf of Mexico” on the map, while in the rest of the world both denominations will be visible.
La Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum sent a letter to Google for challenge the change, arguing that a maritime name change cannot be imposed unilaterally. “If a country wants to change the designation of something in the sea, it would only apply up to 12 nautical miles. It cannot apply to the rest, in this case the Gulf of Mexico,” Sheinbaum explained. In a tongue-in-cheek response, the Mexican government proposed renaming the United States to “America Mexicana” on Google Maps, referring to a map from 1607.
With the same order, Trump also established that the highest mountain in the United States will return to being called Mount McKinley, the name it had until 2015, when Democratic President Barack Obama decided to rename it “Denali.” Again, the mountain’s name will be updated on Google Maps.
Last updated 1st February at 7,50am
