Donald Trump announces 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and European Union from August 1
Donald Trump has announced a 30% tariff on goods from Mexico and the European Union starting August 1, 2025, citing drug trafficking and trade imbalance. He urged companies to shift manufacturing to the U.S. to avoid the new tariffs.
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that United States will impose a 30% tariff on goods imported from Mexico and the European Union starting August 1, 2025. Trump shared official letters sent to the leaders of Mexico and the European Commission through his X platform Truth Social.
In the letter to the President of Mexico, Trump said the tariff is necessary despite the strong trading relationship between the two countries. He blamed Mexico for not doing enough to stop drug cartels responsible for the smuggling of fentanyl into the US.
"Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT what Mexico has done is not enough,” Trump wrote. He accused the cartels of trying to turn all of North America into a "Narco-Trafficking Playground” and said he could not allow that to happen.
Because of this, Trump said that starting August 1, US will charge a flat 30% tariff on all Mexican products entering the country, in addition to any existing sector-specific tariffs.
In a separate letter to the President of the European Commission, Trump stated that a similar 30% tariff will apply to EU goods. He emphasized that this rate is still lower than what would be needed to fix the trade imbalance between the US and the EU. He warned that any attempt to avoid the tariff by shipping goods through other countries would lead to the higher tariff still being applied.
However, Trump added that companies from the EU or Mexico could avoid these tariffs by choosing to build or manufacture their products within the United States. He promised that such companies would receive quick and smooth approval for their operations in the US.