The European Union and Mexico struck back President Donald Trump’s trade threats, and the two countries appear to be trying to send a message with their retaliation.
Both the EU and Mexico announced retaliatory tariffs on US goods in response to Trump’s decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on imports from the two key allies. The moves follow a similar announcement from Canada.
The two groups’ newly released list of products that would be subject to tariffs appear to focus on two main categories: metals and agricultural products.
Shannon O’Neil, a senior fellow for Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote that Mexico’s strategy became clear through the list of goods that the country is targeting.
“This menagerie wasn’t haphazard,” O’Neil wrote. “Instead, it was designed to gain both economic justice and political leverage, targeting key congressional districts and Trump supporters.”
By targeting goods like bourbon from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky and motorcycles from House Speaker Paul Ryan’s district in Wisconsin, the allies appear to be trying to send a message to those political leaders as well.