The White House said Friday that President Trump is still on track to slap tariffs on Mexico on Monday, even though the two sides are making progress in talks over how to stop the flow of illegal immigrants heading north.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said meetings in Washington “have gone well,” but Mexico hasn’t yet offered the kinds of concessions Mr. Trump needs to see in order to call of his threat.
“Our position hasn’t changed,” she said. “Tariffs are going to take effect on Monday.”
Mr. Trump says he’ll start with a 5% tariff, increasing it monthly until it reaches 25%.
The threat has brought Mexico to the negotiating table, and has even make Mexico’s leaders consider steps they’d flatly refused in the past. But so far, they haven’t agreed to what the U.S. wants, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters Thursday evening.
Mr. Pence has been leading the U.S. side of negotiations.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard is leading talks for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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