A Washington Post opinion columnist suggested foreign leaders are already figuring out how to come out of negotiations with President Donald Trump unscathed: Just let him declare victory on TV.
“Trump is trying to repackage the status quo as a victory. That’s what the leaders of these foreign countries are learning,” Catherine Rampell, also a CNN economics commentator, said on “NewsNight” Monday.
“You don’t actually have to give Trump anything. You have to let him announce victory on TV,” she added.
“Second of all, it’s not actually back to the status quo. It is worse than the status quo,” she continued, noting that “we have tarnished our relationships with our allies whose help we need to rein in China.”
She also highlighted the “additional uncertainty that’s being added to the business environment right now,” with potential tariffs looming.
Trump on Saturday announced he was imposing tariffs of 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada as of Tuesday, prompting the two major trade partners to announce retaliatory measures.
On Monday, Trump backed off, agreeing to a 30-day pause, as the neighboring nations said they were taking steps to address his concerns about border security and drug trafficking.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted Monday on X saying that he would “work together” with Trump during the pause.
Trudeau said Canada would implement its previously announced $1.3 billion border plan, adding that he would also appoint a fentanyl czar, list cartels as terrorist organizations and launch a joint strike force with the U.S. to address drug trafficking and organized crime.
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In her announcement of the pause, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government would send 10,000 National Guard troops to its northern border to prevent drug trafficking to the U.S.
She said the U.S. had also agreed “to work to stop the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico,” which Trump did not mention in his own announcement.