Trump Proposes High Tariffs on Mexican Vehicles

By James Oliphant and David Shepardson
(Reuters) – Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday proposed tariffs as high as 200% on vehicles imported from Mexico, intensifying his protectionist trade stance ahead of the November 5 election.

Facing Democrat Kamala Harris in a competitive race, Trump had previously vowed to impose a 100% duty on imported cars and trucks to support the domestic auto industry. However, at a rally in Juneau, Wisconsin, he escalated this figure.

“We’ll put a tariff of 200% on if we have to,” Trump stated. “We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not letting those cars come into the United States.”

This rally marked Trump’s fourth visit to Wisconsin in eight days, signaling the campaign’s focus on the state with less than a month until Election Day. Polls indicate Harris holds a slight lead in Wisconsin, which supported President Joe Biden over Trump four years ago.

Both candidates have invested significant time, money, and resources in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—crucial states for success in the U.S. Electoral College. Trump won these states in 2016, while Biden did in 2020.

Harris campaigned alongside former Republican U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney in Wisconsin on Thursday.

Trump’s Juneau rally followed a previous event in Butler, Pennsylvania—site of an assassination attempt against him in July.

The former president’s tariff comments aimed to reinforce his commitment to the U.S. auto industry. Experts warn that such tariffs could lead to higher vehicle prices. In 2023, Mexico exported around 3 million vehicles to the U.S., with the Detroit Three automakers comprising about half of those exports.

The Tax Policy Center noted that significantly raising tariffs on Mexican vehicle exports could increase motor vehicle costs, both domestic and imported. Trump has previously threatened large tariffs on Mexican cars during his presidency and candidacy in 2016.

Trump’s nearly two-hour speech heavily criticized the Biden administration’s handling of Hurricane Helene, which caused devastation in the Southeast, resulting in 227 deaths and extensive power outages.

He claimed Harris had left people “stranded,” without supporting evidence, asserting, “This is the worst response to a storm or a catastrophe or a hurricane that we’ve ever seen.”

Earlier, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell defended the administration’s response on ABC’s “This Week,” asserting that the agency had sufficient resources for recovery efforts and labeled claims about diverted FEMA funding to illegal migrants as “frankly ridiculous and just plain false.”