U.S. President Donald Trump is keeping new tariffs in place on Mexico, Canada and China to pressure them to block the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States, top White House economic officials said Sunday.

"If fentanyl ends, I think these [tariffs] will come off,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told NBC’s “Meet the Press” show.

“But if fentanyl does not end, or he’s uncertain about it, he will stay this way until he is comfortable,” he said. “This is black and white. You got to save American lives.”

Trump last week issued a string of whip-sawing tariff decisions that plunged the three major U.S. stock market indexes and roiled relations with Canada and Mexico, which are long-time U.S. allies and its closest neighbors, as well as its two biggest trading partners.

  • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
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    3 hours ago

    Reminder that according to the US government’s own figures, only 43lbs of fentanyl were seized at the Canadian border last year. That’s less than a single suitcase.

    Reminder that Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the guy who ran silk road, a dark web site that traded in vast quantities of dangerous and illegal drugs, far, far greater than the amount flowing from Canada to the US.

    Reminder that the only reason Trump can impose these tariffs without congress signing off is because they’re being imposed under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act which grants the president the authority to enact tariffs in response to a national emergency… Meaning Trump needs there to be an emergency in order to enact tariffs.

    If you still think enjoy of this is about fentanyl you’re a fucking idiot.

  • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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    5 hours ago

    Fentanyl isn’t going to “end” — so what they’re saying is that for the next four years, there will either be tariffs or the threat of tariffs.

  • masterofn001@lemmy.ca
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    7 hours ago

    The price of cocaine is becoming ridiculous because of this.

    Won’t somebody think of the cocaine?

  • sloppychops@lemmy.ca
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    8 hours ago

    I swear to fuck i just read another article from 2 hours ago where that Hassent fellow was quoted as saying essentially the opposite of what is quoted here.

    These people are a mess. Shrodinger’s trade policy. The US economy, a bag of shit and a ketamine addled advisor are placed in a box…

    • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
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      3 hours ago

      This is exactly why Canada is refusing to lift our tariffs. We’re not going to accept a pause or a reduction, or some exemptions; end the trade war, or continue the trade war. Those are the options.

  • LuxSpark@lemmy.cafe
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    9 hours ago

    Fentanyl, right. One thing I know is that he doesn’t give a shit about anyone else’s well-being.