Biden hopes Trump will reconsider tariffs on Mexico and Canada

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden said he hopes newly elected President Donald Trump will reconsider his plan to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada, saying it could "spoil" relations with close allies, Reuters reported.

"I hope he reconsiders it. I think it's a counterproductive thing," Biden said in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he is spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his family.

"We have an unusual situation in America - we are surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. And the last thing we should do is start spoiling those relationships."

Trump said on Monday that he would impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico until they curb drugs and migrants crossing the border, in a move that would appear to violate the free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that she did not specifically discuss tariffs in a conversation she had with Trump on Wednesday, adding that the two agreed there would be good relations between the two nations.

After the call, Trump said Sheinbaum "agreed to stop migration through Mexico and into the United States, effectively closing our southern border".

Sheinbaum, however, said she presented a strategy that "helped" migrants before they reached the US border.

Biden said he spoke with three Americans who were recently released after being detained in China. "I am truly happy they are home," he said.

Trump also threatened China with new tariffs. Biden noted that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had established a hotline between the two leaders and a direct line of communication between their two militaries.

"One thing I am sure of about Xi is that he doesn't want to make a mistake," Biden said. "He understands what is at stake."