President-elect Trump is getting specific about his tariff plans, in what the Wall Street Journal says is "the clearest indication since his election victory that he plans to follow through on [his] tough campaign rhetoric." Trump has long vowed to impose tariffs, and on Monday he posted details on Truth Social of what he intends to do on day one of his presidency—and, per CNN, those details made it clear he plans to "up the ante" on those promised tariffs. He said he would charge Mexico and Canada 25% on all goods entering the US, and China would be charged an additional 10% on top of any other tariffs it is charged. The New York Times says such tariffs "could cripple trade" and "scramble global supply chains."
Of the Mexico and Canada tariffs, Trump wrote, "This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem." He also mentioned narcotics in his post regarding the additional 10% tariff on China, saying that until illegal drugs stop coming into the US via imported goods, the tariff would be charged. A Chinese Embassy spokesperson says China does not knowingly allow drugs to cross into the US. "China believes that China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature. No one will win a trade war or a tariff war," he adds.
As for Canada, two government officials said in a statement: "Canada and the United States have one of the strongest and closest relationships—particularly when it comes to trade and border security. We will of course continue to discuss these issues with the incoming administration." While the president does not need congressional authorization to impose tariffs, some sort of economic, commercial, or national security reason is typically required, and it's not clear what justification Trump plans to use. (More tariffs stories.)