White House rivals slam Trump's Mexico tariff tactics

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Contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday slammed Donald Trump's tactics of threatening punitive tariffs to extract concessions on immigration from Mexico, saying the U.S. president was recklessly endangering ties to a major ally and trade partner.

"What the world is tired of, and what I am tired of, is a president who consistently goes to war, verbal war, with our allies," Senator Bernie Sanders said on CNN.

The Democratic senator's comments came two days after the U.S. and Mexico reached a deal to avert the five-percent tariffs Trump had threatened on all imports from Mexico, a move economists said would have had a devastating impact in both countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump greets supporters at the White House, Washington DC, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

As part of the deal, Mexico agreed to bolster security on its southern border and expand its policy of taking back Central American migrants as the US processes their asylum claims.

However, key aspects of the agreement are still unclear, including whether Mexico has pledged to buy more U.S. agricultural products and if the deal materially expanded a previous commitment by Mexico to more vigorously police its southern border with Guatemala.

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Trump tweeted that further details would be announced: "Importantly, some things not mentioned in yesterday press release, one in particular, were agreed upon. That will be announced at the appropriate time."

The U.S. president hailed the deal as a major breakthrough, but the Democrats sharply criticized his frequent resort to tariff threats and said many of the Mexican concessions were made months ago.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said there appeared to be little new in the deal, adding it was a "bogus" solution used by Trump to get out of an ill-conceived tariff threat.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a sharply worded statement Saturday saying Trump had "undermined America's preeminent leadership role in the world" by threatening tariffs against Mexico. "Threats and temper tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy," she added.

But Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, insisted that results were what mattered. "People can disagree with the tactics (but) Mexico came to the table with real proposals," he said on Fox. "We have an agreement that, if they implement, will be effective."

Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman from the border city of El Paso, Texas who is also pursuing the Democratic nomination, was among the critics on Sunday.

"I think the president has completely overblown what he reports to have achieved," he said on ABC. "These are agreements that Mexico had already made, in some cases months ago.

"They might have accelerated the timetable, but by and large the president achieved nothing except to jeopardize the most important trading relationship that the United States of America has."

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Many lawmakers from border states like Texas – even many Republicans – had expressed grave reservations about the tariff threat, but Republicans, at least, welcomed the outcome.

"In general, Republicans understand that tariffs are attacks on American consumers and we don't want to see them in place long-term, nor do I believe President Trump does," Republican Senator Ron Johnson said on Fox.

That said, the Wisconsin lawmaker added, "I think he used them as leverage in this situation brilliantly."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, speaking on Saturday in the border city of Tijuana, also credited the agreement, saying it meant "there will not be an economic or financial crisis in Mexico."

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One of the concessions touted by administration officials was Mexico's agreement to deploy its National Guard to slow the migrant flow northward. But Mexico had pledged to do that in secret talks in March, according to officials from both countries quoted by the New York Times.

And the agreement to expand a program allowing asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while their cases are being processed was reached in December, the officials said.

Trump lashed out at what he often calls the "failing New York Times" over that report, tweeting on Sunday that "if President Obama made the deals that I have made, both at the Border and for the Economy, the Corrupt Media would be hailing them as Incredible, & a National Holiday would be immediately declared."

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters