President Trump has threatened to increase Mexico’s tariff rate to 30 percent starting Aug. 1, claiming the country hasn’t sufficiently tackled drug cartels.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called for the country to keep “a cool head,” but a sense of exasperation swept over people involved in the U.S. negotiations.

Trucks cross into the United States via the Zaragoza-Ysleta border bridge, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced imposing a 30% tariff on imported goods from the European Union and Mexico, starting August 1, 2025, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, July 12, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez