LIVE: Mexico's Sheinbaum speaks after Trump announces Mexican tariff reprieve for USMCA goods

That Mexico will not have to pay tariffs on anything included in the USMCA agreement. Practically all of our trade with the United States is within the Mexico-United States-Canada treaty. There is a part that has to do with rules of origin, but everything is practically within the trade treaty. This agreement is valid until April 2. Remember that he announced that on April 2 he will announce tariffs — he calls them tariffs, we call them tariffs for all the countries in the world. So he puts Mexico within that international decision — more than an agreement, because it is their decision — but he puts us in, just like any other country in the world, unlike what he was doing before, which finally excluded us from that process. Our relationship has been very good and we are working hard together on the border, both in terms of... well, he calls them illegal immigrants, we call them undocumented, because no one is illegal. Undocumented people entering the United States, as well as stopping fentanyl. Thank you, President Sheinbaum, for your hard work and cooperation.

And we replied as follows: Thank you very much to President Donald Trump. We had an excellent and respectful call in which we emphasized that our work and collaboration have produced unprecedented results within the framework of respect for our sovereignties. We will continue working together, particularly on migration and security issues, which include reducing the illegal crossing of fentanyl into the United States, as well as of weapons into Mexico. As President Trump mentioned, Mexico will not be required to pay tariffs on all those products within the USMCA. This agreement lasts until April 2, when the United States will announce reciprocal tariffs for all countries. Well, it was a very respectful call, I believe that is what must be highlighted. We have always treated President Trump with respect, and he has always treated us with respect on the calls. Even if you see how he has referred to me, every time he refers to me, he does so with respect, and we have always referred to him with respect. We can disagree and talk about issues where we do not agree, but it must be highlighted that it was a very, very respectful call, as have been the other three calls we have had. I presented him the results we have had this month, results related particularly to the reduction in the crossing of fentanyl from Mexico to the United States. I am going to show you a chart we prepared yesterday with data from the United States Customs Agency, CBP, which is called in English... these are the seizures that the United States makes of fentanyl on their side of the border, or they inspect on their side of the border and seize fentanyl. What happens if we are seizing more fentanyl in Mexico? Well, less fentanyl will reach the United States, something we have been reporting every 15 days. So look, just from January to February... let's see... this is the reduction. In English it means seizures. So this is information from them, from their customs and border agency. So in October, 899 kg passed, or 899 kg passed. Then there was a reduction from here to here. The reduction is more or less 50%, but we are talking about 1, 2, 3, 4 months. The reduction from January to February. Remember that we spoke on February 3. He took office on January 20. We spoke on February 3, if I am not mistaken. That was when we decided to send the 10,000 National Guard members to the border, who among other things are inspecting vehicles to see if they have weapons, drugs, etc. So just in February, the reduction in fentanyl seizures on the United States side at the border with Mexico was 41.5%. He did not know this chart until we sent it to him, and I also explained to him that what we had decided — the 10,000 guards at the border, the inspections at customs — was already giving results. I also told him about the meeting that had taken place in Washington with his security team, our security team, the Attorney General of Mexico and his Attorney General. That meeting in Washington where a series of cooperation and collaboration agreements were reached within the framework of our sovereignties. So I told him: we are getting results, President Trump. Why now that you imposed the tariffs, how are we going to continue cooperating and collaborating with something that harms the people of Mexico? And he did not threaten anything, nothing, nothing. Simply understand me: for me, the most important thing is my people, and I need to continue collaborating and cooperating with you, but we need equal circumstances. He initially proposed that the tariffs stay and then review... anyway, there was a dialogue. And I kept informing him about many things we have done in Mexico regarding security, including the decision made by the Security Council regarding the 29 people deprived of liberty who were sent to the United States, that is, the results that had been achieved in these dates, the arrests, etc. And he finally made us the proposal to send everything to April 2 in a different review, which is the review of reciprocal tariffs. And I also told him that I understood his concern about the United States deficit, but that it was better to keep working and dialoguing together. I really want to say that we were treated with great respect. I say 'we' because it is not only the President of Mexico, but it is the people of Mexico, because I represent the people of Mexico. That is why we always raised everything this month, and we will always raise it out of conviction that we can collaborate, coordinate, and do many things together, always within the framework of respect for our sovereignty, which is the position we have always raised. So really, that is why the publication says 'thank you to President Trump' because Mexico was treated with great respect, and we reached this agreement that truly benefits both nations, continuing to collaborate and cooperate on different topics, and at the same time, within the framework of respect between us, maintaining this cooperation. I believe that, thinking a lot about the call, it is always important to have respect when one speaks, to maintain respect, dignity, and respect. And that has been the characteristic of the four calls we have had. This helps Mexico, and it will not be the last call. There are many topics we still have to discuss, among them, obviously, the respect for Mexicans living on the other side of the border. But for now, I believe we achieved something — we all achieved it. It was not the President who achieved it; all Mexicans achieved this respect for our country. I would say it that way. And well, we are going to keep working together. And on Sunday we are going to have a festival. I am going to explain what we are doing, and along the way I am going to talk about the Judicial Reform, but I am going to explain the achievement that this agreement between the presidents and between our peoples represents. And we are going to invite musical groups there to celebrate with the people of Mexico. I do not know if you have any questions. Let's see, over here on the left.

Well, that is what is published today. On April 2, President Trump, what he has said for his country is that they do not have tariffs for countries that send — that is, from which they import products — and in turn there are countries that have very high tariffs on the products they import from the United States. What he has said is that it is not a fair deal for the United States. I am repeating his words. In the case of Mexico, practically everything is tariff-free: neither do we charge them tariffs, nor do they charge us tariffs. So when he sends it to April 2, he is essentially putting Mexico within that framework of reciprocal tariffs. And this month, our teams will continue working, particularly the trade team. So, that is to say, April 2 is a date that was not like February to March, where only Canada, us, and China were in that situation. Rather, on April 2 the whole world will be in the same situation. So the objective is that Mexico, by not charging tariffs to the United States, the reciprocal relationship is that they do not charge us tariffs either. In any case, joint work continues, meaning the Mexico-United States-Canada trade treaty is respected.

Yes, if the tariffs had remained, we would have had to respond on Sunday in some way. That is what I mentioned to President Trump when I told him: I have to respond to my people, because it is my main obligation. So there we were going to take a series of measures that it is no longer worth talking about, given that everything is postponed until April 2 and everything is reviewed within the framework of reciprocal tariffs. In any case, Mexico has to move forward in strengthening our sovereignty and our self-sufficiency, which is part of the Plan México. We have to produce more in Mexico for what we consume, for our domestic market. That will help us not only with growth — it is not just growth, it is economic development with well-being and the boost. In fact, in Mexico, within that framework, is the 'Made in Mexico' initiative. We have to produce more here because we also import a lot from other regions. And also in energy terms, strengthening our energy sovereignty, stopping importing many things we import, that will strengthen our country even more. Sovereignty is a word that has to do with the treatment or with strengthening our independence, and it also has to do with Article 39 of the Constitution: sovereignty in Mexico resides in the people and in their decisions. And at the same time, food, energy, and production self-sufficiency, and that will strengthen Mexico a lot. During the entire neoliberal period, Mexico bet on trade treaties with the whole world. Imagine, we are the country with the most trade treaties in the world. Why? Because there was this idea that it does not matter if you do not produce it, you have to buy it where it is cheapest. That made us end up importing who knows how much gasoline, even though we were an oil country, because even the six refineries that were built in Mexico were thrown overboard. So we have to strengthen our self-sufficiency, and this economic integration we have with the United States has to be an economic integration with sovereignty and expansion. That was proposed a long time ago by President López Obrador, who said the trade treaty is what strengthens North America against other regions of the world, and we agree. But moreover, this treaty or this collaboration scheme should be expanded to the entire continent, because then the continent would be very strong. And that always with respect to the independence, sovereignty, autonomy, and self-determination of peoples. So today, in a way, what we showed and the dialogue we established showed that: we collaborate on many topics. I told him that, and I have said it publicly: of course we do not want fentanyl consumption in the United States, which is doing so much harm to its young people. That depends on many things the United States does. President Trump acknowledged the campaign idea we proposed, and they have to do many other things. But to the extent that we can collaborate — because we do not want illegal fentanyl trafficking, not for the United States, not for anywhere, nor to poison our young people. So I told him that today on the call: we are going to collaborate within the framework of respect, always in all of that. So we have results, and we have to keep getting results.

Let's see if Efraín sends you the photos. Something had been done with President López Obrador, but we are doing a major work, and it is being developed. Let's see if we have the photos there so you can see them. And the idea is to finish by May at the latest, to prevent any flooding in Chalco. Thank you very much, President. Let's move on now... let's see, over here at the corner.

The agreement reached in Washington with both security and law enforcement teams establishes that: reduction of illegal drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States and reduction of illegal arms trafficking from the United States to Mexico. So obviously we have to be reviewing both things. Now, it is very important, and I want to tell everyone: we are doing this work for the security of Mexico, of Mexican women and men. That is, it is part of our security strategy, and of course, part of cooperation with the United States, part of the security strategy. So it is also very important that they, in this meeting we had, recognize the importance of reducing arms trafficking to Mexico. So that is part of the agreement, which obviously is sustained given that we continue cooperating and collaborating together within the framework of our sovereignties. Another question, President.

It is not up to me to establish the differences. Who am I to qualify the relationship of one country with another? No, that is up to others. It is not up to me. What I can say is that we have been treated with respect, and we treat President Trump with respect within the framework of collaboration and coordination.

Yes, it is very likely that everything had an influence. Remember that the day he announced the tariffs, the stock market fell, the stock markets in the United States fell. And also, there were many American businesspeople who said this does not suit us, and who did their own work to talk to President Trump. Obviously everything influences, and I believe the relationship of respect we have had also influences. And I told him: I am a woman of my word. When we commit to coordinating and collaborating within the framework of our sovereignties, we do it, but we have to have respect between us. So everything influences, everything influences between us. The progress we have had is a very good advance, truly very good. The data are not even ours; the data are their data. That means we are doing the work that corresponds to us, and not only so that illegal fentanyl does not reach the United States, but also for the protection and work of Mexican women and men. And you know that moreover, we go from addressing the causes to zero impunity, and that is what is giving us many results. And it also has a lot to do with the progress that President López Obrador made in his moment, and also, I want to say, the good relationship President Trump had with President López Obrador. Everything influences, everything influences. It was always a relationship of great respect. Remember that the president always said: this president is my friend. Even when his Twitter account was taken away — well, he was no longer president, or was he? No, right? He was no longer President Trump — of the few people in the world who said that is wrong, because censorship is wrong in every sense, it was President López Obrador. Well, President Trump obviously remembers that. So all of that influences the good relationship, because he obviously knows that we are part of the same movement and that we have always referred to him with respect. Thank you very much, President. And finally, the meeting at the Zócalo — I invite everyone, we are going there, of course, to give an important message, but we are also going to have a festival so that we can all be happy on Sunday. Many paisanos had already bought their tickets to come — come, paisanos, we want you, we embrace you, you are the best our country has, and we embrace you and love you. And what I said about the consulates — that we are going to keep working at the consulates until they function well and give our paisanos all the respect they deserve — that I am going to personally dedicate myself to. So be it.