Trump Broadsides Against Mexico, Panama Pay Off as Leaders Offer Major Concessions
‘We had a good conversation with President Trump with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty,’ the Mexican president writes on social media.

President Trump’s threats against Mexico and Panama are already paying off, as the two Latin American countries are offering major concessions following his threats to issue tariffs and other penalties for what he sees as a lack of action on issues like immigration, the drug trade, and shipping.
Stocks rebounded on Monday morning after the president announced a deal with Mexico that would see both countries’ tariffs on one another delayed for at least one month.
Mr. Trump announced on Monday morning that he would suspend his 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports in exchange for President Sheinbaum’s help in securing the border from the south.
“It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country.
“We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations” between American and Mexican officials, Mr. Trump added. “I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries.”
Markets soured on Mr. Trump’s tariff announcements over the weekend when he signed 25 percent tariffs on both Mexico and Canada, and a 10 percent tariff on Communist China. After Mr. Trump’s announcement of the delay, however, stocks rebounded. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 500 points at the open on Monday until Mr. Trump’s announcement came at around 10:41 AM, at which point the Dow recovered most of those losses.
The Mexican government announced that America would also help them stop the flow of American-made firearms into Mexico, which has been such an issue south of the border that the Ms. Sheinbaum’s government is now suing firearms manufacturers in an American federal court.
“We had a good conversation with President Trump with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty,” Ms. Sheinbaum wrote on X. “We reached a series of agreements.”
The Panamanians, too, are offering Mr. Trump an olive branch following his threats to “take” the Panama Canal back after America ceded it to the country in the 1970s. On Sunday, Secretary Rubio met with President Mulino of Panama to discuss the issue of American ships passing through the Canal and Panama’s relationship with China. Mr. Trump has said multiple times in the last two months that fees for passing through the Canal are too high, and even stated in his inaugural address that he would take it back via an undefined process.
After his meeting with Mr. Rubio, Mr. Mulino said that he would not renew his country’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and may even end the relationship early.
“We’ll study the possibility of terminating it early,” Mr. Mulino said after his meeting with the secretary of state. “I think this visit opens the door to build new relations … and try to increase as much as possible US investments in Panama.”
Canada, however, is not yet bowing to Mr. Trump’s threats. The president has said he will not yield to the Canadians until they do more to stop the flow of migrants and drugs across America’s northern border, leading both Prime Minister Trudeau and the leader of the opposition, Pierre Poilievre, to release their own retaliation plans. The premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, went so far as to ban the sale of American alcohol, which is due to take effect soon, and cancel a contract the provincial government had with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.
Mr. Trudeau said that he is introducing a 25 percent tariff on American goods entering his country, though Mr. Poilievre went even further, demanding that Canadian industry be re-shored, and that critical commodities like crude oil and other materials used by American farmers be cut back from the American market. Mr. Poilievre is overwhelmingly favored to be elected as the next prime minister in the upcoming elections.
“We must put CANADA FIRST,” Mr. Poilievre wrote on X, laying out his own retaliation measures that he will impose if elected as prime minister. “That is why Common Sense Conservatives condemn President Trump’s massive, unjust and unjustified tariffs on Canada’s already weak economy.”