U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that his government will maintain an “excellent relationship” with Mexico and ruled out the possibility that his country will withdraw from the USMCA.
“We are going to have an excellent relationship with Mexico,” he said during a press conference in Dublin, Ireland, where he met with Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
By contrast, the Republican revived trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa, accusing Canada of having “cheated” the United States for 50 years.
“In fact, we have a great relationship with Canada, but the United States has been cheated for 50 years by Canada. We don’t need their products and they need ours. They do almost all their business with us, and we do very little with them,” he said.
The Republican added that its northern neighbor has taken advantage of American farmers and claimed that the Canadian administration is seeking to reach a new trade agreement with Washington.
“Canada wants to make a deal with us. Just as Iran wants to make a deal with us. I don’t think they’re ready. But Canada wants to make a deal,” he said.
Canada is the second-largest trading partner of the U.S.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Canada exported $382 billion worth of goods to the United States in 2025 and imported $334 billion worth of goods.
Meanwhile, a report by the U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian multinational group TD Bank Group on trade between the two countries stated that in 2024, Canada was the United States’ second-most important trading partner, behind only Mexico.
The same report indicated that approximately 34 U.S. states sell more goods to Canada than to any other foreign economy.
Despite this level of trade, relations between the two countries have become strained in recent weeks.
Formal negotiations to reach trade agreements failed on August 21, after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered his delegation to return to Ottawa and accused Washington of presenting new requirements that he considered unacceptable. The United States, meanwhile, blamed Canada for the stalemate.
Following the breakdown, Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on Canadian products worth approximately $28 billion. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs that took effect last Tuesday, while the U.S. government expanded restrictions on Canadian goods and banned the importation of some products, including most alcoholic beverages.
In addition, Canada has been practically excluded from the USMCA negotiations, while Mexico and the United States have held three rounds of official negotiations focused on its review. Just this week, President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick held a virtual meeting on the trade negotiations, which they described as “cordial” and “useful.”
Source: sinembargo
