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Washington DC: In the first hour of his second presidential term, Donald Trump on Monday signed many of the executive orders marking a distinctive shift in US foreign policy, aligning with his "America First" agenda. During a comprehensive press conference from the Oval Office, Trump outlined his approach to various issues, from trade wars to TikTok, and expressed his doubt about the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel would hold.
Trump also reignited his threat against 2 major US trading partners—Canada and Mexico—indicating that he could impose 25% tariffs on both countries as early as February 1, while vowing further punitive actions on other nations as part of his new trade strategy. Moreover, he signed a series of executive orders pulling the US out of the World Health Organization & the Paris Climate Agreement.
Trade War
Blaming Mexico and Canada for failing to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking into the US, Trump said, "We're thinking in terms of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada because they're allowing vast numbers of people -- Canada's a very bad abuser also -- vast numbers of people to come in, and fentanyl to come in."
He continued to say that these tariffs might be enacted on February 1. The newly inaugurated president also signed an order directing agencies to review many trade issues, including trade deficits, unfair practices, and currency manipulation. These could eventually lead to additional tariffs.
Earlier, Trump had pledged to "immediately begin the overhaul" of the US trade system to protect American workers and families. "Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens," he stated in his inaugural speech.
Mexico was the US’s largest trading partner in 2023, with a total 2-way goods trade of $807 billion, surpassing US trade with China, according to the US State Department.
EU Imbalance
In his remarks from the Oval Office, Trump also criticized the European Union for not importing enough American products, elaborating he would "straighten that out" by applying tariffs or pushing for more oil and gas purchases from the EU.
The EU’s economy commissioner replied previously on Monday, saying the bloc was prepared to defend its interests, while Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that Canada would ensure it was ready to respond to any US measures.
Trump reiterated his plan to establish an "External Revenue Service" for collecting tariffs, duties, and revenues.
TikTok
The president ordered a 75-day delay in enforcing a law that would lead to banning TikTok in the US. His directive postponed the enforcement of a law that went into effect this week, which restricts the distribution and updating of TikTok in the country.
Trump also insisted that the app’s Chinese parent company must agree to sell a 50% share of the company to a US entity.
Leaving WHO
Trump also signed an order to withdraw the United States from the WHO, claiming that the US was unfairly contributing more than China to the UN body.
According to that order, USA was pulling out due to the WHO’s "mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states."
It is to be noted that the US is the largest financial contributor to the Geneva-based organization.