In a recent rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, former President Donald Trump unveiled a controversial new policy proposal targeting Mexico, as reported by The Guardian. Trump threatened to impose escalating tariffs on Mexican imports if the country fails to stem the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.

Addressing the crowd, Trump stated, “I’m going to inform her on day one or sooner, that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send in to the United States of America.” The “her” Trump referred to is Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s recently inaugurated president.

Trump’s proposed tariffs would start at 25% and could potentially increase to 50%, 75%, or even 100% if Mexico doesn’t comply. He expressed confidence in the effectiveness of this approach, saying, “It’s only got a 100% chance of working.”

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The former president suggested that Mexico would likely deploy soldiers to its southern border with Guatemala and Belize to prevent migrants from heading north. Trump erroneously claimed Mexico is America’s top trading partner, when in fact, it ranks second in both imports and exports, according to the U.S. Trade Representative.

This aggressive stance on immigration and trade marks a potential return to Trump’s contentious “America First” policies, which could significantly impact U.S.-Mexico relations if implemented.

Read more at The Guardian