President Donald Trump launched another round of trade threats against Mexico and the European Union Saturday—but it appears his head wasn’t in it.
In a pair of posts on Truth Social, Trump announced plans to impose 30 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and the European Union unless the trade partners “decide to build or manufacture product [sic] within the United States.”
In two letters addressed to European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, respectively, Trump included the same typo-laden sentence: “In fact, we will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally and routinely–and In other words, a matter of weeks.”
There were slight changes between the two letters—Trump accused Mexico of failing “to stop Cartels” and the EU of a “far from Reciprocal” trade relationship with the U.S.—but the rest appeared to be rubber-stamped. The letters included talking points and threats Trump has previously directed at seven countries ahead of his new Aug. 1 deadline for trade agreements, Politico reported. Those countries include Brunei, Algeria, Libya, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Moldova, and Iraq.
Underscoring the Aug. 1 deadline—which the administration pushed back after pledging to secure “90 deals in 90 days,” which would have fallen on July 9—the letters marked the latest offensive in the MAGA figurehead’s trade war.
After he backed out of implementing the full scope of his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs, Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong called him “TACO Trump,” which stands for “Trump always chickens out”—a designation that has become popular on Wall Street.
The Washington Post reported that U.S. stocks fell Friday after Trump threatened Canada with 35 percent tariffs, although a Post business report suggested that Wall Street has largely tuned out Trump’s threats on the assumption that he will back away from his most devastating policy positions.
A July 8 Truth Social post suggested that Trump intends to go full throttle with his next deadline—if only to shake those TACO claims.
“As per letters sent to various countries yesterday, in addition to letters that will be sent today, tomorrow, and for the next short period of time, TARIFFS WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025. There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change,” he wrote. “In other words, all money will be due and payable starting AUGUST 1, 2025 – No extensions will be granted. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
