Trade Cases

Trump: 25% universal tariffs on Canada and Mexico to start Tuesday

March 3, 2025

President Trump reaffirmed Monday afternoon that his 25% universal tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico would take effect on Tuesday.

“Tomorrow – tariffs 25% on Canada and 25% on Mexico. And that’ll start,” Trump told reporters Monday, according to an Associated Press report. “They’re going to have to have a tariff.”

The administration on Monday also published draft notices about the planned tariffs on Canada as well as on the planned tariffs on Mexico.

Trump first announced the tariffs in late January. They were supposed to go into effect at the beginning of February. But leaders from both Canada and Mexico negotiated deals to push tariff implementation out a month.

That month is now up.

Canada and Mexico have taken steps to meet Trump’s demands and stave off the tariffs, including sending 10,000 troops each to their respective borders with the US to fight the illegal drug trade. Mexico has also turned over drug cartel members to the US.

The governments of Canada and Mexico have plans to retaliate with counter-tariffs but are waiting to see if Trump’s actions will follow his words on Tuesday.

There doesn’t appear to be much support for the 25% blanket tariff on USMCA trading partners. Businesses and governments have been working to further integrate North American supply chains after the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the fragility of global supply chains.

Many manufacturers spoke out against the tariffs last month.

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.