Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez plans to hold party fundraising events with the American expatriate community in Mexico City next month, Bloomberg reports.
Mexico Vows Legal Action After Shooting
“Mexico on Sunday threatened to take legal action against the United States for failing to protect its citizens after this weekend’s mass shooting in the border city of El Paso,” NBC News reports.
“Of the 20 people gunned down at a Walmart at the Cielo Vista Mall, at least three were Mexican citizens, and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard promised Mexico City will act.”
White House Won’t Submit NAFTA Replacement Until Fall
The White House plans to send its replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement to Congress after Sept. 1, setting up a vote by the end of the year, sources told CNBC.
The reason for the delay: “The White House and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are split over how aggressively to push House Democrats to approve the deal.”
Mexican Officials Have a Backchannel to Jared
Daily Beast: “According to individuals working with the Mexican government, Kushner served as both a source of comfort and a backchannel during a months-long process that was filled with threats of devastating tariffs and accusations that the country wasn’t doing enough to stem the tide of immigration to the U.S’s southern border.”
“Tapping on Kushner for clarity has become a semi-official policy in the top ranks of the offices of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard… One person familiar with the bilateral interactions said that senior Mexican officials had sought aggressively to cultivate Kushner as a primary contact and possible ‘good cop’ since at least early 2017.”
Mexico Not Aware of Farm Deal Touted by Trump
“President Trump boasted of ‘large’ agricultural sales to Mexico as part of a deal reached Friday on border security and illegal immigration that averted the threat of U.S. tariffs, but the deal as released had none, and three Mexican officials say they’re not aware of any side accord,” Bloomberg reports.
“Trump told his 61 million Twitter followers in an all-caps message that Mexico had agreed to ‘immediately begin buying large quantities of agricultural product from our great patriot farmers.'”
Trump’s Tariffs on Mexico Legally Questionable
Washington Post: “His promise to punish Mexico with escalating tariffs unless it controls what he calls the ‘invasion’ of migrants across the southern border is premised on a law that has never been used either as a tool of immigration policy or tariffs. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) mentions neither.”
GOP Senators Say They’ll Block Trump Tariffs
“Republican senators warned Trump administration officials Tuesday they were prepared to block the president’s effort to impose tariffs on Mexican imports, promising what would be GOP lawmakers’ most brazen defiance of the president since he took office,” the Washington Post reports.
“During a closed-door lunch, at least a half-dozen senators spoke in opposition to the tariffs, while no one spoke in support.”
“Senators told officials from the White House and Department of Justice that there could be a disapproval vote if Trump moves forward — and this time, unlike with an earlier disapproval resolution, opponents of Trump’s tariffs could have enough support to override a veto.”
Trump’s Top Trade Adviser Opposed Tariffs on Mexico
“President Trump’s top trade adviser opposed the White House’s threat to impose escalating tariffs on Mexico, arguing that the plan could jeopardize a pending North American trade accord,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has argued that tariffs on Mexico further cloud prospects for ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the proposed successor to Nafta that is already facing significant hurdles in the Democrat-controlled House.”
CNBC: “The tariff was pushed by advisor Stephen Miller, an immigration hawk.”
“The surprise decision to announce the tariff plan came as Trump was ‘riled up’ by conservative radio commentary about the recent surge in border crossings.”
Behind Trump’s Mexico Tariff Surprise
Jonathan Swan: “As Trump announcements go, his planned tariffs on Mexican goods appeared more orchestrated than most with a tweet, a presidential statement from the press office and a background call with reporters.”
“But behind the scenes, it was an administration-wide scramble. As with many presidential ‘announcements,’ this once sprang from intense frustration and boiled over quickly with staff rushing to react. While the plan was hurried out the door to appease Trump, he has been privately talking about doing this for a while.”
“The White House has made a number of immigration demands of Mexico over the past several months, but Trump has not defined what they need to show him… The president’s next move may depend as much on his mood as anything else.”
Trump Will Hit Mexico with Tariffs
President Trump said that he planned to impose a 5% tariff on all imported goods from Mexico beginning June 10, a tax that he said would “gradually increase” until Mexico stopped the flow of undocumented immigrants across the border, the New York Times reports.
Trump Prepares to Threaten Mexico with New Tariffs
“President Trump is preparing to threaten Mexico with new tariffs as part of an attempt to force the country to crack down on a surge of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump is planning to make the announcement Friday but some White House aides are trying to talk him out of it, arguing that such a threat would rattle financial markets and potentially imperil passage of the USMCA trade agreement.”
“A senior White House official, however, said there is broad support across the administration to push Mexico further and that Trump’s announcement is likely to happen Friday.”
U.S. Will Lift Tariffs on Mexico and Canada
“The U.S. is poised to lift steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico in favor of stronger enforcement actions… in a move that helps clear the way for USMCA ratification,” Bloomberg reports.
Trump Backs Off Threat to Close the Border
President Trump told reporters that if Mexico “does not make progress on stemming the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States within the next year, he will impose tariffs on cars and close the border,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump had previously said he would close the border, or at least large sections of it, this week if Mexico does not halt illegal immigration into the United States.”
Trump Threatens to Close Border with Mexico
President Trump “threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico next week, potentially disrupting millions of legal border crossings and billions of dollars in trade if Mexico does not stop immigrants from reaching the United States,” Reuters reports.
Said Trump: “I’ll just close the border, and with a deficit like we have with Mexico and have had for many years, closing the border will be a profit-making operation.”
Vox: “But that is not at all how trade works.”
Mulvaney Admits Mexico Could Not Pay for Wall
Incoming White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told ABC News that any money for the border wall would have to come from the Treasury Department.
Said Mulvaney: “Technically, you and I both know that it cannot work exactly like that. The department of Homeland Security can’t actually spend money from Mexico. We have to get it from the treasury.”
Trump Claims Mexico Is Paying for His Border Wall
President Trump tweeted that “Mexico is paying for the wall” through savings to the U.S. in new trade deal.
Said Trump: “I often stated, ‘One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall. This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!”
Mexico to Honor Jared Kushner
“Outgoing Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto has stunned the country by bestowing the nation’s highest honor for foreigners on Jared Kushner,” The Guardian reports.
Peña Nieto praised Kushner as “a grand ally of Mexico” who helped achieve a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico.
Trump Threatens Mexico with Military Action
President Trump warned that he may take military action to stop immigrants from crossing the southern border into the U.S. if Mexico does not take action to stop the “onslaught,” The Hill reports.
Trump also blamed Democrats for the “assault on our country,” adding that illegal immigration is “far more important” to him than trade or the newly-negotiated trade pact with Mexico and Canada.
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