Trump’s policy towards the Mexican border has been an unmitigated disaster. His signature campaign promise, the wall, still hasn’t come to fruition and all his constant, xenophobic rhetoric has succeeded in is alienating our southern neighbor. The man is as incompetent as he is racist, and his failure to deliver to his base on this front is clearly a sore spot for him.
This morning, Trump vented his obvious frustrations by unleashing a deranged, three-part tweetstorm targeted at The Washington Post over the publication’s coverage of his Mexico agenda, presumably in response to a recent piece that debunked many of his lies. He called the Post “crazed and “dishonest” and accused them of intentionally getting the story wrong.
He then started bragging about his effect on the border, claiming that Mexico for the “first time in decades” has begun “meaningfully apprehending” undocumented migrants at their own southern border with Guatemala and Belize. As is always the case with this president, he offered absolutely no evidence to support his statement.
The Crazed and Dishonest Washington Post again purposely got it wrong. Mexico, for the first time in decades, is meaningfully apprehending illegals at THEIR Southern Border, before the long march up to the U.S. This is great and the way it should be. The big flow will stop…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 5, 2019
Trump then lobbed a threat at Mexico, saying that if they stop “apprehending and bringing the illegals back to where they came from” he will slap a 25% tariff on cars made in Mexico and imported into the United States. The dangerous rhetoric mirrors the trade war he ignited with China, which was a mistake of historic proportions that ended up losing massive amounts of money, destroying countless jobs, and hurting American consumers.
If Trump puts such a tariff on Mexican cars, Mexico will inevitably respond with a similar tariff of their own. Clearly, he has not learned his lesson.
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….However, if for any reason Mexico stops apprehending and bringing the illegals back to where they came from, the U.S. will be forced to Tariff at 25% all cars made in Mexico and shipped over the Border to us. If that doesn’t work, which it will, I will close the Border…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 5, 2019
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Trump also floated his backup plan in case the tariff doesn’t work (although he insists it will) by saying he will close the border completely. It cannot be overstated how idiotic such a decision would be.
Mexico is our 3rd largest goods trading partner and the 2nd largest market for U.S. exported goods. Many Americans need the U.S.-Mexico border open and functioning for their very survival. Their jobs and ability to put food on their tables depend upon it. If Trump actually closes it, the economic damage would be unimaginable.
As if that weren’t enough, Trump threw out another threat, saying he is considering an “economic penalty” to the tune of $500 billion in response to the illegal drug trafficking that flows up into the states from Mexico. This bit in particular seems especially absurd, and one can’t help but be reminded of his promise that Mexico would pay for his wall. How exactly does he think he will get half a trillion dollars in narcotics reparations when he couldn’t extract so much as a penny for his vanity project wall?
It’s unlikely that Trump will succeed, but his rhetoric is still inflicting incalculable strain on our relationship with one of our closest allies. The president has once again made a convincing case for why he should be voted out of office as quickly as possible.
….This will supersede USMCA. Likewise I am looking at an economic penalty for the 500 Billion Dollars in illegal DRUGS that are shipped and smuggled through Mexico and across our Southern Border. Over 100,00 Americans die each year, sooo many families destroyed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 5, 2019
