What can Mexico do in its dealings with Trump? Show its strength. And it has plenty.
By Jorge Ramos (Confidencial)
HAVANA TIMES – It was 2:37 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. Millions of US citizens were voting, and the winner of the presidential election was still unknown. I was listening to the Fox News station on the SiriusXM radio network — the favorite of Trump supporters — when they suddenly went to a commercial break. And there, to my great surprise, I heard an ad selling Trump-branded watches.
It seemed odd, so I took a photo of the screen and kept listening. How was it possible that on Election Day, watches linked to one of the presidential candidates were being sold? I visited the website advertised on the radio (www.GetTrumpWatches.com) and found all sorts of watches, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Then I saw a disclaimer stating that neither Trump nor his organization designed or sold these watches. It was a company that had paid for a license to use the “Trump” brand.
Win or lose, candidate Trump would end up benefiting. Trump or companies using his name have also sold Bibles, tennis shoes, and commemorative cards, as reported by The Guardian. Yes, above all, Trump is a salesman.
Perhaps this example serves to understand how Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, operates and how to beat or at least face up to him intelligently without being overwhelmed. Trump is a transactional being. Everything he does — everything — is to gain something. If he doesn’t gain, he’s not interested.
Moreover, he’s a bully. He’s a master at abusing power, and when he feels in control or in a position of authority, he exploits it to the fullest. These days, Trump feels powerful and untouchable. It seems none of the various lawsuits against him are likely to proceed due to the recent Supreme Court decision granting him near-total immunity.
But the worst thing you can do when facing a bully is to show weakness.
In Trump’s mind, everything conspires to demonstrate his power. He won the election and the popular vote, the lawsuits against him are fading, and legally, he feels protected to do whatever he pleases. He feels on top. It’s in this context that Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.
It’s well-documented that imposing tariffs and engaging in trade wars only generate inflation, unemployment, and disrupt the normal functioning of markets. If Trump imposes 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian products, and 10% on Chinese products on January 20, there will be a significant imbalance in the global economy.
But the worst part is that these measures won’t stop the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States or the flow of thousands of undocumented immigrants. Additionally, it’s very likely that the three countries will respond by imposing equivalent tariffs on US exports. No one wins.
What can Mexico do? Show its strength. And it has plenty.
Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has already said that if the US imposes tariffs on Mexican products, Mexico will do the same with US products. But beyond this tit-for-tat where both countries lose, Mexico holds the key for millions of Latin Americans wanting to migrate north.
The strength — and key to the Mexican government’s negotiation — lies in demonstrating to Trump that he needs Mexico to control and regulate the flow of Central and South American migrants into the United States. No one else can do this.
Former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador never understood this and gave in to all the pressures of Trump’s first administration. President Claudia Sheinbaum must not make the same mistake. The US needs Mexico to have a humane, legal, and regulated system for migrant passage.
Migration was central to Trump’s election campaign and is also his greatest vulnerability. If he fails to control the border, even his most fervent supporters will criticize him. And to somewhat control that porous 3,145-kilometer border, the US needs Mexico. Mexico’s message must be clear: cooperate with us, Mr. Trump, or there’s no way to stop fentanyl or manage the flow of migrants.
In doing so, President Sheinbaum must push for Latin American migrants receive dignified treatment and for undocumented Mexicans to be protected from the mass deportations Trump has announced. Sheinbaum must be the president of all Mexicans, inside and outside its borders. That’s what she promised during her campaign.
No, nothing is easy with Trump, but it’s a mistake to see him as an ally or friend. He will only do what benefits him. Remember, for him, everything is a transaction, everything is a sale. To achieve a win-win outcome with him, you have to be strong and not let the bully impose his conditions. If you let him once, he’ll never stop stepping on you for the next four years.
*This article was originally published in Spanish on the author’s website.
