U.S. President Donald Trump said regarding the imposition of tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, "(These countries) cannot do anything to stop the tariffs."
According to Reuters and others on the 31st (local time), President Trump met with reporters at the White House and noted, "We are not looking for concessions."
President Trump criticized China for sending "a tremendous amount of fentanyl (a type of drug), killing hundreds of thousands of people every year," and targeted Canada and Mexico, stating, "This poison (fentanyl) is enabling its entry into the United States."
President Trump announced that tariffs would be imposed in the coming months on steel, aluminum, oil, gas, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and more. He also mentioned tariffs on crude oil and gas. He did not name specific countries in this regard and did not reveal any concrete plans. However, he stated that the tariff on oil imported from Canada, which falls under the 25% tariff category, would be reduced to 10%.
President Trump acknowledged that there might be short-term disruptions due to the tariffs but said, "Tariffs do not cause inflation," expressing that he is not concerned about the financial markets' reactions to the tariffs.
Earlier reports indicated that President Trump postponed the imposition of tariffs on Canada and Mexico from February 1 to March 1, but White House Spokesperson Caroline Leavitt refuted this during a briefing, confirming that "the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and the 10% tariffs on China will begin tomorrow (February 1)."
Meanwhile, President Trump stated that "next week, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is scheduled to visit the White House." He particularly mentioned that he plans to have a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding, "It might be something important." This important matter is expected to discuss a ceasefire or conclusion of the Ukraine war.