When I Get Back This Room Better Be Picked Up

Yet another tariff threat and he really, really, really means it this time

Author

mister mix
August 01, 2025

The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to increase a tariff on Canadian goods to 35 per cent.

In a statement issued Thursday evening, the White House said the new tariff rate, set at 25 per cent since March, will rise effective Friday.  

"Canada has failed to co-operate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, and it has retaliated against the United States for the president's actions to address this unusual and extraordinary threat," says the statement. 

However, Canadian goods that meet the terms of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement will not be subject to the tariff, which means the vast bulk of Canada's exports can still cross the border tariff-free.  

This story is notable for the absence of any real response from PM Mark Carney, on purpose. Doug Ford, Ontario Premier and until a few months ago MAGA-curious Conservative, said this: "Canada shouldn't settle for anything less than the right deal […] Now is not the time to roll over. We need to stand our ground." Ford has the power to boost rates on electricity supplied by Ontario hydro to the Northeast US. Note, too, that the tariff does not touch USMCA goods, which is most of them. (Side note, the documentary about his brother Rob, Trainwreck, on Netflix is pretty good.)

As I noted in the comments yesterday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum got a 90-day extension from Trump. Trump made a lot of noise about how she promised to comply in oh-so-many ways, blah blah blah, but let’s cut to the chase:

Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said this week that 84% of Mexico’s trade with its northern neighbor complies with the USMCA and is therefore tariff-free.

U.S. content in vehicles made in Mexico is exempt from the United States’ 25% auto tariff, lowering the effective duty on Mexican cars to 15% on average, according to Ebrard.

After announcing the 90 day delay, I assume Claudia went out for another motorcade in an unarmored vehicle with little visible security. Then she probably opened yet another hospital, after which she handed out Bienestar (pension) cards to a bunch of women.

Claudia in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca where she opened a hospital that was financed by the sale of the Presidential plane, sold by her predecessor AMLO. She flies commercial.

Unlike Canadians, who are extremely pissed about the way the US has treated them (as Kay wrote the other day), Mexicans are used to poor treatment from this country. Claudia has consistently refused to rise to any of Trump’s bait, and she always chooses calming rather than inflammatory rhetoric. Her approval rating in the last poll I saw was 85%.

Anyway, by this point it’s clear that the clowns are running the circus, and that Japan and the EU were probably dumb for making a deal with Trump, since he views willingness to make a deal as weakness and just keeps exploiting the country on the other side of the deal. Carney is smart, Claudia is smart, and they’re not killing themselves to make a deal.

Might as well listen to some Lucinda:

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