Biden says Trump’s tariff threat against Canada and Mexico is ‘counterproductive’

President Joe Biden on Thursday criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he will implement 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, saying that the comments were “counterproductive.”

“I hope he rethinks it, and I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do,” Biden said, responding to a reporter’s question about his reaction to Trump’s announcement.

“The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships,” he added. Biden’s comments came during his Thanksgiving Day visit to a fire station in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Monday that one of his first executive orders would be to hit Mexico and Canada with a blanket 25% tariff. Mexico and Canada are the second and third top suppliers of goods to the U.S., according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The U.S. imports the most goods from China.

“This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Trump said in the post.

The president-elect’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s remarks.

While on the campaign trail, Trump frequently promised to implement more tariffs, especially on China. Some economists, however, have criticized the possibility of steep tariffs, arguing that the cost would ultimately be passed on to consumers.

Trump said in a Wednesday post to Truth Social that he had a “wonderful conversation” with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, saying, “She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”

But in Sheinbaum’s account of the conversation, she said that she noted that Mexico’s position is “not to close borders.”

“In our conversation with President Trump, I explained to him the comprehensive strategy that Mexico has followed to address the migration phenomenon, respecting human rights,” she said in Spanish on X. “We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but instead build bridges between government and people.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a post to X on Wednesday that he had spoken with his country’s premiers about trade with the U.S.

“Our focus: Canadian jobs, securing the border, and building on our strong partnership with the United States,” he said.