• In 2023, three million vehicles were exported from Mexico to the U.S., mainly from leading manufacturers.
  • Trump has intensified his threat of a 200% tariff on Mexican-built vehicles in the election lead-up.
  • Both Trump and Harris campaigns are investing significant resources to persuade Wisconsin voters to support them.

Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on Mexican-built vehicles if he wins next month’s federal elections. If implemented, these would be the highest tariffs in U.S. history, marking a significant shift in trade policy.

The former President reiterated his stance during a rally held in Juneau, Wisconsin, during the weekend, where he literally doubled down on the threat of tariffs targeting Mexican vehicles. Initially, Trump had proposed a 100% tariff, but during the event, he escalated that figure to 200%, stating that he would not permit these vehicles into the U.S.

For context, last year, 3 million vehicles were exported from Mexico to the U.S., with major manufacturers like GM, Ford, and Stellantis accounting for nearly half of them.

Read: Trump – “I Want German Car Companies To Become American Car Companies”

“We’ll put a tariff of 200% on if we have to,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not letting those cars come into the United States.”

Trump says his proposed economic policies will grow jobs in the United States by encouraging foreign companies to establish local facilities in the US. If they refuse to do so, new tariffs will be applied to any goods made overseas and imported to the US.

“We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not letting those cars come into the United States,” he wrote in a recent op-ed published by Newsweek. “Under my plan, American workers will no longer be worried about losing their jobs to foreign nations. Instead, foreign nations will be worried about losing their jobs to Americans. German car companies can become American car companies. We can beat China in electronic production. Manufacturers that have left us will come sprinting back to our shores.”

The Republican nominee adds that the US will give foreign companies and manufacturers “the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burdens, and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet – but only if you make your products here in America and hire American workers for the job.”

However, many have raised concerns about these proposed tariffs, particularly on vehicles manufactured in Mexico. According to the Tax Policy Center, a significant new tariff on Mexican-made automobiles would likely “drive up the cost of motor vehicles—both domestic and imported—affecting used cars as well as new models.”