Trump adviser claims US drug war, not trade war, behind tariffs on Mexico, Canada

Kevin Hassett, the Trump administration’s National Economic Council director, has stated that the United States did not initiate a trade war with Mexico and Canada, but rather "a drug war."

Hassett discussed the evolving nature of President Trump's tariff strategy aimed at addressing the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, across US borders, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

“What happened was that we launched a drug war, not a trade war, and it was part of a negotiation to get Canada and Mexico to stop shipping fentanyl across our borders,” Hassett explained.

The Trump administration proposed a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada as a means to push both countries to curb illegal immigration and prevent the influx of fentanyl into the US However, these tariffs were temporarily paused after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to take steps to address border security concerns.

Hassett pointed out that, due to progress made by Mexico and Canada in reducing fentanyl shipments, the US had relaxed some of the tariffs. “As we’ve watched them make progress on the drug war, then we’ve relaxed some of the tariffs that we put on… them because they’re making progress,” Hassett said. "And so, that drug war is something that’s been going on since really the beginning of the Trump administration."

The US administration has shown optimism about the future of this strategy, with Hassett adding, “Hopefully, that we’ll actually round up the people in the cartels and stop the flow of fentanyl that’s killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, and then we’ll be focused on the reciprocal thing.”

The debate surrounding Trump’s tariffs continues to generate discussion, with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also describing the tariffs as a "drug war," rather than a "trade war," emphasizing the administration's focus on curbing the fentanyl crisis.

By Vafa Guliyeva