Tariffs and immigration deal with Mexico seen as triumph for Trump

WASHINGTON DC – A lot of praise was heaped on U.S. President Dionald Trump on Monday following the last ditch deal done to avert tariffs on Mexican goods, which was hatched on the eve of the weekend.

The president was widely criticised for announcing the threat of the imposition of tariffs just over a week ago. Now it would seem his initiative has support. Albeit much of it has come from his favourite news channel, Fox News.

But not all of it.

“All the hysteria over President Trump’s latest tariff threat to Mexico proved wrong Friday, as the two sides reached a deal that gave Trump what he’d demanded: much more vigorous cooperation in stopping illegal Central American migrants from travelling 1,200-plus miles across Mexico to sneak into the United States,” The New York Post said in an editorial titled ‘Trump’s Big Win on Mexico and Immigration.’ The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Murdoch also controls Fox Corporation which owns the Fox News Channel.

“The agreement President Trump announced Friday night between the U.S. and Mexico on tariffs and immigration is an achievement that has eluded past presidents. He deserves the thanks and gratitude of all Americans but of course, he won’t get it. After threatening to impose tariffs on everything Mexico exports to the U.S., Trump got Mexico to agree to finally take greater action to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. Trump then suspended imposition of U.S. tariffs on our southern neighbor,” the former acting dierector of Ice Tom Homan said on Fox News.

“Against nearly insurmountable odds, President Trump proved his critics wrong once again by getting Mexico to agree Friday to step up its efforts to reduce illegal immigration to the U.S. This is a victory not just for the president but for the U.S., because it will strengthen our national security and uphold the rule of law,” National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd said on Fox News.

“He took decisive executive action that forced the Mexican government to honor its obligations and respect the sovereignty of our land. After all, if Mexico or any other country wants access to the crown jewel of global commerce – the American consumer market – then it must act as a responsible partner. Our nation seeks prosperity and friendship with all nations, but will not be abused,” said Steve Cortes in RealClear Politics.

“Because President Trump emerges as a clear winner from his week-long confrontation with Mexico over our neighbor’s lax enforcement of its southern border, reflexive Trump critics will scramble to find some way of containing what is a clear Trump triumph, which came with assists by Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who conducted the key negotiations,” Hugh Hewitt wrote in The Washington Post.

“Last week we saw proof that tariffs work. President Trump threatened tariffs on Mexico. Their leaders came to negotiate, and we got concrete results,” Steve Hilton said on Fox News.

“President Trump proved his doubters wrong once again. While the Democratic Congress refused to fund serious border protection, Trump went his own way and crafted a deal. He found a promising way to decrease illegal immigration,” Tom Del Beccaro said on Fox News.

(File photo. Credit: Kevin Lamarque, Reuters).