Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Trending
  • Resources
    • Politics Extra
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Economy / Trump Proposes 20% Tax on Mexican Imports

Members Get the Full Experience

  • Exclusive analysis you won’t find elsewhere
  • Real-time trending page
  • Private Trial Balloon podcast
  • No ads

Become a member. Already a member? Log in.


Trump Proposes 20% Tax on Mexican Imports

January 26, 2017 at 3:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump plans to make Mexico pay for his border wall by imposing a 20 percent tax on all imports into the United States from Mexico, raising billions of dollars that would cover the cost of the new barrier,” the New York Times reports.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer “said the 20 percent tax on annual Mexican imports would raise $10 billion a year and would easily pay for a border wall that is estimated to cost between $8 billion and $20 billion. The value of imported goods from Mexico in 2015 was $296 billion.”

However, the White House insisted a few hours later “that it was not endorsing the plan.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Twitter: “Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad.”

FavoriteLoadingSave to Favorites
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: Economy Tagged With: Mexico


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Recent Posts

Trump Calls CEOs to a Reception at Davos

January 19, 2026 at 5:01 pm ESTJanuary 19, 2026 at 5:05 pm EST

President Trump summoned CEOs to a reception at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in Davos, scrambling everyone’s schedule, Semafor reports. Save to Favorites

Jon Stewart Says It’s ‘Desperation’ to Want Him to Run

January 19, 2026 at 4:50 pm EST

Jon Stewart thinks it’s very kind of people to suggest he and other late night hosts should run for political office, but that it’s a sign of “desperation,” The Wrap…

Texans Are Turning Against Trump

January 19, 2026 at 4:46 pm EST

Karl Rove warned that Texans are turning against the GOP as Hispanic support for President Trump craters, Mediaite reports. Said Rove: “You can just see the support for Republicans in…

The Military Plans for an Unthinkable Betrayal

January 19, 2026 at 4:39 pm EST

Tom Nichols: “The United States is a global superpower, and its military trains for war in every domain. During my years as a military educator, I saw American officers wrestle…

Fed Chair to Attend Supreme Court Argument

January 19, 2026 at 4:37 pm EST

“Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral argument Wednesday in a case involving the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support…

Tim Walz Was Also Asked If He Had Been a Foreign Agent

January 19, 2026 at 4:30 pm ESTJanuary 19, 2026 at 4:41 pm EST

“Josh Shapiro wasn’t the only finalist to be Kamala Harris’ running mate who was asked if he had ever been an agent of a foreign government… Tim Walz was, too,”…

Trump Doesn’t Acknowledge MLK Day

January 19, 2026 at 4:17 pm EST

“In a break from past presidential traditions, including his own first term, President Donald Trump has not recognized Jan. 19 2026 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day through any official…

Trump Writes an Insane Letter

January 19, 2026 at 3:41 pm ESTJanuary 19, 2026 at 3:47 pm EST

Anne Applebaum: “Remember the time, during the election campaign, when Donald Trump got bored of his rally, turned on his playlist and started dancing? Or when, more recently, he got…

Trump’s ICE Quagmire

January 19, 2026 at 3:28 pm EST

Rachel Bade: “President Donald Trump is facing a lose-lose situation when it comes to ICE and the increasingly negative polling surrounding immigration enforcement.” “On the one hand, the administration is…

Americans Are the Ones Paying for Tariffs

January 19, 2026 at 1:35 pm EST

“Americans, not foreigners, are bearing almost the entire cost of U.S. tariffs, according to new research that contradicts a key claim by President Trump and suggests he might have a…

Trump’s Response to Court Loss on Tariffs Would Be Swift

January 19, 2026 at 1:33 pm EST

“If the Supreme Court strikes down President Trump’s tariffs, the Trump administration plans to begin replacing them almost immediately with other levies, Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, said…

Macron Declines Invite to Join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

January 19, 2026 at 1:29 pm EST

French President Emmanuel Macron does not plan to accept President Donald Trump’s invitation to join a proposed Board of Peace, Bloomberg reports. Save to Favorites

12 States Jockey to Lead Democratic Primary Calendar

January 19, 2026 at 1:27 pm EST

“Democrats are kicking off the process of setting their 2028 presidential primary calendar this month, after 12 states submitted applications to lead the process,” CNN reports. “The Democratic National Committee’s…

Full Mad King

January 19, 2026 at 11:29 am ESTJanuary 19, 2026 at 11:30 am EST

Charlie Sykes: “Yes, it’s real. He really did write that letter to the Norwegian PM, whining (once again) about not getting the Nobel Prize and declaring that since he didn’t…

Trump’s Letter to Norway Should Be the Last Straw

January 19, 2026 at 11:10 am EST

Anne Applebaum: “One could observe many things about this document. One is the childish grammar, including the strange capitalizations… Another is the loose grasp of history…” “Yet what matters isn’t…

Why Trump Is Obsessed with Whole Milk

January 19, 2026 at 10:15 am EST

The Atlantic: “The idealized era of perfectly safe, perfectly wholesome dairy never really existed…” “Nevertheless, it resonates with the MAHA and MAGA agendas, which both center on the belief that…

Does the American Presidency Exist Anymore?

January 19, 2026 at 10:00 am ESTJanuary 19, 2026 at 9:16 am EST

Julia Azari: “Last week Donald Trump flipped off a worker at a Ford plant for yelling ‘pedophile protector’ at him. This is a minor incident in the scheme of things…

Trump Orders Release of GOP Congressman’s Son

January 19, 2026 at 9:46 am ESTJanuary 19, 2026 at 9:47 am EST

President Trump has granted clemency to Rep. Steve Womak’s (R-AR) son who was in prison for distributing methamphetamine, USA Today reports. The congressman’s son was sentenced in federal court in…

Michael Cohen Flips — Again

January 19, 2026 at 9:37 am ESTJanuary 19, 2026 at 9:39 am EST

Byron York: “It certainly appeared that Michael Cohen would be Donald Trump’s mortal enemy for life. But that, apparently, is not Michael Cohen’s nature. What if something happened — something…

Quote of the Day

January 19, 2026 at 9:32 am EST

“They’re libtards in a blue city… if the libtards are gonna side with lawlessness, that’s on them.” — Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), on Fox Business. Save to Favorites

« Bannon Attacks News Media as ‘the Opposition’
GOP Lawmakers Suddenly Back Early Voting in Mississippi »

Your Account

Sign in

Members Only

  • The Warning Signs Beneath a Favorable Midterm Map
  • Why I Don’t Worry About Trump Canceling the Midterms
  • The GOP’s Real Power Center
  • Irony Is Dead
  • Trump to Voters, Allies, and Critics: ‘I Don’t Care’

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC