Trump Keeps Threatening Mexico with Higher Tariffs Despite Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested again Sunday that his government could possibly renegotiate the deal signed Friday with Mexico about tariffs, but that he was confident Mexico would do the necessary to refrain asylum seekers from reaching United States (U.S.) territory in exchange for lower tariffs.

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"Importantly, some things not mentioned yesterday's press release, one in particular, were agreed upon. That will be announced at the appropriate time," Trump tweeted on Sunday, adding that "there is now going to be great cooperation between Mexico and the USA, something that didn’t exist for decades. However, if for some unknown reason there is not, we can always go back to our previous, very profitable, position of Tariffs - But I don’t believe that will be necessary."​​​​

The deal announced on Friday after three days of talks in Washington averted Trump's threatened imposition of five percent import tariffs on all Mexican goods that had been due to start on Monday unless Mexico committed to doing more in order to reduce an increase in migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border.

"Mexico was not being cooperative on the Border...and now I have full confidence, especially after speaking to their President yesterday, that they will be very cooperative and want to get the job properly done," Trump said on Twitter.

There is further uncertainty around Trump's comments on Saturday that Mexico had agreed to "immediately begin" buying "large quantities" of agricultural goods from U.S. farmers.

Mexican officials have not confirmed any new agreement on agricultural products. Asked repeatedly about such a deal on CBS on Sunday, the Mexican ambassador to the U.S., Martha Barcena Coqui, said only that trade would increase without the tariffs. She said there were many details discussed during negotiations that were not in the written declaration.

She noted Mexico was already a top U.S. trade partner in agricultural products. 

On Saturday, Mexico's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, tweeted that the deal should boost economic growth and therefore demand for U.S. agricultural products, but he also stopped short of saying that the deal contained a commitment on Mexico's part to purchase more goods from the United States.