Mexico has alternative plans to respond to Trump's tariff threats: President

MEXICO CITY

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that her administration has alternative plans to counter US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 25% tariffs.

"We have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, depending on what the government of the United States decides. It is very important for the people of Mexico to know that we will always defend the dignity of our people, that we will always defend respect for our sovereignty, and engage in dialogue as equals, as we have always stated, without subordination," she said during her press briefing.

The Republican leader is expected to slap a 25% tariff on all goods to Mexico and Canada starting Feb. 1, the date he set shortly after stepping into office last week.

The longstanding threat is meant to push both North American neighbors to comply with US demands regarding irregular immigration and drug smuggling.

However, Trump has not yet specified the extent of the tariffs. Oil, for instance, remains out of the planned tariffs, with Trump taunting that it would depend on whether Mexico and Canada treat the US "properly."

Sheinbaum called for a "cold head" and assured her administration is thinking ahead of the possible outcomes coming from the unpredictable demeanor of her US counterpart.

"We are prepared for any scenario; clearly, we are doing everything in our power to prevent such a scenario from occurring, and the dialogue will always be maintained," said Sheinbaum.

Regarding the probable outcome of the tariffs, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that Trump would carry out a "strategic mistake" if he follows through with his threats.

"If this tariff were imposed, (US) consumers would face higher prices across all sectors. This impact will be felt by millions of American families overnight," said Ebrard at the briefing.

Ebrard stated that the main companies affected would be US companies like Ford and General Motors, with the latter being the leading exporter to the US from Mexico.

On top of that, Ebrard underscored that families in the US would be the most impacted, stating that a 25% tariff on household appliances, of which Mexico is the 5th major exporter, would hurt up to 40 million American families.