Canada and Mexico have responded after President Donald Trump imposed huge tariffs, with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau warning his actions will have ‘real consequences for the American people’.
President Trump has been back in The White House for nearly two weeks, and he’s made a ton of amendments to the way the US is run in that short space of time.
Heck, Trump broke records for the number of executive orders signed on his first day as president, with changes to passports and immigration among some of his first moves.
The Trump administration has also imposed higher tariff imports on countries like China, Canada and Mexico, with import tariffs at 25 percent for Mexico and Canada, while there’s ten percent tariffs on goods from China.
As you can imagine, the new changes haven’t gone down well with Canadian, Mexican and Chinese officials.
Donald Trump has introduced many executive orders (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Speaking shorty before the hiked tariffs were detailed on Saturday (February 1), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “We’re ready with a response, a purposeful, forceful but reasonable, immediate response.”
And during a press briefing on Friday (January 31st), Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said: “We have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, depending on what the government of the United States decides.
“It is very important for the people of Mexico to know that we will always defend the dignity of our people, that we will always defend respect for our sovereignty, and engage in dialogue as equals, as we have always stated, without subordination.”
Both the Canadian and Mexican president announced counter-tariffs on Saturday evening as a direct response to Trump’s executive order.
The Canadian prime minister has hit back (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Canada is imposing 25 percent tariffs on CA $155 billion of US goods.
Trudeau said: “It will have real consequences for you, the American people.”
Speaking in an address on Saturday, the Canadian prime minister added: “The actions taken by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together.”
Meanwhile, Sheinbaum revealed in a post on Twitter that she’s ordered her economic minister to implement measures to protect Mexico’s best interests.
Claudia Sheinbaum is taking measures too (ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)
“We categorically reject the White House’s slander that the Mexican government has alliances with criminal organisations, as well as any intention of meddling in our territory,” Mexico’s president wrote.
“If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious fentanyl consumption in their country, they could fight the sale of drugs on the streets of their major cities, which they don’t do, and the laundering of money that this illegal activity generates that has done so much harm to its population.”
President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum has argued the ‘entire world’ will still call the Gulf by its original name.
Within the first 24 hours of being sworn in as the President of the United States for the second time, Donald Trump wasted no time signing off on multiple executive orders.
By January 21, the White House’s website listed 25 executive orders including one about ‘restoring names that honor American greatness’.
Donald Trump’s executive order
The order argues that it’s ‘in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes’, and so the naming of the US’ ‘national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past’.
Two examples listed including the renaming of North America’s highest peak to ‘Mount McKinley’ to honor President McKinley. And the second? Well, the Gulf of Mexico being renamed as ‘Gulf of America’.
The order notes the area as being ‘an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America’ and ‘a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce’.
Reflecting on its ‘remarkable body of water’ alongside ‘natural resources and wildlife,’ it resolved: “The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America.”
And Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has since addressed the executive order, arguing Trump can call the Gulf whatever he likes, but it will ultimately always be known as the Gulf of Mexico to the rest of the world.
Mexico’s response to Donald Trump
Trump signed off on the Gulf of Mexico now being known as the Gulf of America (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In a briefing on the morning of Tuesday (January 21), Sheinbaum said, as quoted by DW.com: “He says that he will call it the ‘Gulf of America’ on its continental shelf. For us it is still the Gulf of Mexico and for the entire world it is still the Gulf of Mexico.”
Elsewhere in the speech, she noted it’s ‘important to always keep a cool head and refer to signed agreements, beyond actual speeches’.
She added: “Regarding the decrees that President Donald Trump signed yesterday, I would like to say the following: The people of Mexico can be sure that we will always defend our sovereignty and our independence.”
Selena Gomez became overcome with emotion about Donald Trump’s new executive orders in a now-deleted video shared to social media.
Gomez, who is of Mexican-American heritage, posted a tearful video on Instagram in the wake of President Trump clamping down on immigration in the country.
The 78-year-old has declared a national emergency and ordered thousands of troops to head to the US-Mexico border.
He’s also halted all refugee and asylum seekers admissions, and tried to stop people born in the States having a birthright to US citizenship.
Trump has also ordered for illegal immigrants be deported — something Gomez, whose grandparents were Mexican immigrants, became tearful about.
She said in the now-deleted clip: “I’m so sorry. All my people are getting attacked. The children, I don’t understand. I wish I could do something.”
Sharing screenshots of a Los Angeles Times article about Gomez’s emotional video, Senate candidate Sam Parker weighed in.
“Selena Gomez picked illegals over America b/c she’s the 3rd gen descendent of Mexican illegals who received citizenship in the ’87 Amnesty,” he wrote on Twitter.
“She has an entitlement attitude toward America, like her illegal g’parents. Maybe Selena should be deported, too?”
Now Gomez has responded to this threats.
“Oh Mr. Parker Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat,” the singer posted to her Instagram Story.
Parker also seemed to find the ordeal amusing and posted a screenshot of her message to Twitter. He wrote alongside it: “Selena Gomez has responded to me. Lol.”
Speaking on the Trump’s deportation plans, border czar Tom Homan warned people who are in the US illegally that they’re ‘on the table’.
Homan used to work for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and his role of czar involves him advising the government on immigration and to coordinate policy in this particular area.
In Trump’s own words, Homan is ‘in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin’.
Tom Homan was appointed as ‘border czar’ last year (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Speaking to ABC News, Homan said of the Trump administration’s plans: “If you’re in the country illegally, you’re on the table, because it’s not OK to, you know, violate the laws of this country.
“You got to remember, every time you enter this country illegally, you violated a crime under Title Eight, the United States Code 1325, it’s a crime.”
Homan went on: “So, if you’re in a country illegally, you got a problem. And that’s why I’m hoping those who are in the country illegally, who have not been ordered removed by the federal judge, should leave.”
C 
President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum has proposed a ‘nice’ name for the United States in rebuttal of Donald Trump’s changing of the Gulf’s title.
Within the first 24 hours of being sworn in as the President of the United States for the second time, Donald Trump wasted no time signing off on multiple executive orders including one about ‘restoring names that honor American greatness’ including changing the Gulf of Mexico’s name to ‘Gulf of America’.
The order saw Google comply with the name change, however, it’s been met with continued backlash from Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The order suggested the Gulf of Mexico be renamed as ‘Gulf of America’ noting the area as being ‘an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America’ and ‘a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce’.
Reflecting on its ‘remarkable body of water’ alongside ‘natural resources and wildlife’ and how it ‘will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy,’ Trump resolved he would be ‘directing’ the Gulf be ‘officially renamed’ the Gulf of America.
Google revealed it would be abiding by Trump’s order to change the name although, the name you see upon searching depends on where you are in the world with ‘Maps users see their official local name’ and ‘everyone in the rest of the world sees both names’.
Sheinbaum responded to the executive order noting Trump can call the Gulf whatever he likes but for Mexico and ‘for the entire world’ it would always be known as the ‘Gulf of Mexico’.
Google agreed to the change (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
And at a news conference on Wednesday (January 29), she jokingly suggested the United States be renamed ‘Mexican America’.
Standing in front of a map of North and South America from 1607 and pointing to areas which are now known as part of the US, the Mexican president said: “The United Nations recognizes the name Gulf of Mexico, but next, why don’t we call it Mexican America? It sounds nice doesn’t it?
“Since 1607, the constitution of Apatzingan was Mexican America. So, let’s call it Mexican Americana?”
President Claudia Sheinbaum made a suggestion of her own (ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)
In a letter to Google about its agreement to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, Sheinbaum argued, as quoted by USA Today: “If a country wants to change the designation of something in the sea, it would only apply up to 12 nautical miles. It cannot apply to the rest, in this case, the Gulf of Mexico. This is what we explained in detail to Google.”
Going back to her joke about suggesting the US be renamed ‘Mexican America’ Sheinbaum reportedly added to Google: “We ask that when you put Mexican America in the search engine, the map appears that we presented.”
The White House’s website states 25 executive orders have been signed since Donald Trump was inaugurated.
Within the first 24 hours of being sworn in as the President of the United States for the second time, Donald Trump has wasted no time signing off on multiple executive orders.
Halting the TikTok ban
The White House website states: “To fulfil those responsibilities, I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.
“My Administration must also review sensitive intelligence related to those concerns and evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date.”
The ban has subsequently been paused ‘for a period of 75 days’ to allow Trump’s administration to ‘determine the appropriate course forward’.
Trump has paused the TikTok ban (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Official policy that there are ‘only two genders’
The order’s title reads: “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”
The policy recognizes ‘two sexes, male and female’ and states them as not being ‘changeable’ but ‘grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.
“Each agency and all Federal employees shall enforce laws governing sex-based rights, protections, opportunities, and accommodations to protect men and women as biologically distinct sexes.
“Agencies shall remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology, and shall cease issuing such statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications or other messages. Agency forms that require an individual’s sex shall list male or female, and shall not request gender identity. Agencies shall take all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology.”
The order states the US will only recognize ‘male’ and ‘female’ (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
‘Restoring’ death penalty
The order accuses Biden’s government and judges who oppose capital punishment of ‘efforts to subvert and undermine capital punishment defy the laws of [the] nation, make a mockery of justice, and insult the victims of these horrible crimes’.
Trump’s order states: “The Government’s most solemn responsibility is to protect its citizens from abhorrent acts, and my Administration will not tolerate efforts to stymie and eviscerate the laws that authorize capital punishment against those who commit horrible acts of violence against American citizens.”
The policy adds: “It is the policy of the United States to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences.”
Trump’s order seeks to ‘restore’ the death penalty (Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
‘Ending radical and wasteful government diversity, equity and inclusion’ programs
The order states: “The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military.
“[…] Pursuant to Executive Order 13985 and follow-on orders, nearly every Federal agency and entity submitted ‘Equity Action Plans’ to detail the ways that they have furthered DEIs infiltration of the Federal Government. The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today.
“Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great.”
Trump’s administration also plans to scrap ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ programs (KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Reversing 78 of Biden’s ‘harmful’ executive actions
The executive order accuses the previous administration of embedding ‘deeply unpopular, inflationary, illegal and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government’.
It continues: “The injection of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) into our institutions has corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy.
“Orders to open the borders have endangered the American people and dissolved Federal, State, and local resources that should be used to benefit the American people.
“Climate extremism has exploded inflation and overburdened businesses with regulation.”
The order accuses Biden’s administration of ‘radical practices’ (Mandel Ngan – Pool/Getty Images)
Pardoning Capitol Rioters
Under the section titled ‘Ending the Weaponization of the federal government,’ the White House’s page states: “The Department of Justice even jailed an individual for posting a political meme. And while the Department of Justice has ruthlessly prosecuted more than 1,500 individuals associated with January 6, and simultaneously dropped nearly all cases against BLM rioters. “
Trump accuses the past administration of ‘inflicting political pain’ rather than ‘pursuing actual justice or legitimate government objectives’ against Americans who ‘spoke out against previous administration’s actions and other Americans who were simply exercising constitutionally protected rights’.
The order links to a presidential action pardoning multiple individuals ‘convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to time served as of January 20, 2025’ alongside granting ‘a full, complete or unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events’ on the same day too.
The White House’s website states: “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”
Free speech and federal censorship
The White House’s website states: “Enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference.
“Over the last four years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve. Under the guise of combatting ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ and ‘malinformation,’ the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate.
:Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.”
The White House website says the first amendment ‘enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference’ (John Keeble/Getty Images)
Blocking refugees
The order suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program ‘until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States’.
“The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security may jointly determine to admit aliens to the United States as refugees on a case-by-case basis, in their discretion, but only so long as they determine that the entry of such aliens as refugees is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States.” it says.
Limiting birthright citizenship
If a ‘person’s mother was unlawfully present in the US and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth’ or ‘when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary (such as, but not limited to, visiting the United States under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program or visiting on a student, work, or tourist visa) and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth’ then the person is not ‘automatically’ given the ‘priceless and profound gift’ of ‘the United States citizenship‘.
The order is suspending the US Refugee Admissions Program (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
‘Securing’ borders
The order states: “Over the last four years, the United States has endured a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level. Millions of illegal aliens from nations and regions all around the world successfully entered the United States where they are now residing, including potential terrorists, foreign spies, members of cartels, gangs, and violent transnational criminal organizations, and other hostile actors with malicious intent.”
The order calls upon the Federal Government to ‘act with urgency and strength’ to secure the border and ‘protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement’ including constructing ‘temporary and permanent physical barriers’ and deploying personnel.
‘Protecting American people against invasion’
The order accuses Biden’s administration of letting ‘millions of illegal aliens’ cross the borders.
“Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans. Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities.” it says.
“Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local levels.
“Enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States. The American people deserve a Federal Government that puts their interests first and a Government that understands its sacred obligation to prioritize the safety, security, and financial and economic well-being of Americans.”
The order calls for the Federal government to ‘act with urgency and strength’ when it comes to securing borders (John Moore/Getty Images)
‘Protecting the US from foreign terrorists’
The order seeks to tighten the ‘visa-issuance process’ to ‘ensure that those aliens approved for admission into the US do not intend to harm Americans’ or the ‘national interests’.
“More importantly, the United States must identify them before their admission or entry into the United States.”
‘Protecting the territorial integrity’ of the US
The order states plans to ‘seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities’.
Cartels named as ‘foreign terrorist organizations’
The order states: “It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States.”
United States foreign aid
US foreign development assistance will be paused for 90 days and no assistance will be given until ascertained that its ‘fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the US’ and is ‘aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values’.
Trump’s administration plans to name drug cartels as ‘foreign terrorist organizations’ (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
‘America first policy’
The order’s purpose and policy states: “From this day forward, the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests and always put America and American citizens first.
“As soon as practicable, the Secretary of State shall issue guidance bringing the Department of State’s policies, programs, personnel, and operations in line with an America First foreign policy, which puts America and its interests first.”
‘Restoring accountability to policy-influencing positions’ in federal workforce
The White House’s website states: “Article II of the United States Constitution vests the President with the sole and exclusive authority over the executive branch, including the authority to manage the Federal workforce to ensure effective execution of Federal law.
“A critical aspect of this executive function is the responsibility to maintain professionalism and accountability within the civil service.
“This accountability is sorely lacking today. “
Punishing ‘election interference’
The order accuses ’51 former intelligence officials’ of coordinating with ‘the Biden campaign’ to ‘issue a letter discrediting the reporting that President Joseph R. Biden’s son had abandoned his laptop at a computer repair business’.
It then lists a number of individuals, revoking ‘any current or active clearances’ and reinforced anyone who holds ‘government-issued security clearances should not use their clearance status to influence US elections’.
One order accuses ’51 former intelligence officials’ of coordinating with the ‘Biden campaign’ (MELINA MARA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
US leaving the World Health Organization (WHO)
The order accuses who of ‘mishandling’ the COVID-19 pandemic alongside ‘other global health crises’.
The executive order continues: “The WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments.
“China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO.”
Withdrawing US from Paris climate agreement
The executive order argues the US has ended up involved in ‘international agreements and initiatives that do not reflect [the] country’s values or [its] contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives’.
“Moreover, these agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people,” it states.
Subsequently, it states its intentions for The United States Ambassador to the United Nations [to] immediately submit formal written notification of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’.
Trump accused WHO of ‘mishandling’ Covid-19 (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
National energy emergency
The order accuses the ‘previous administration’ of having ‘driven [the] Nation into a national emergency, where a precariously inadequate and intermittent energy supply, and an increasingly unreliable grid,’ the US now ‘requi[ring] swift and decisive action’.
Assessments will look at transportation and infrastructure alongside endangered species and the nation’s energy supply and clean water act.
‘Unleashing American energy’
The order accuses ‘burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations’ of ‘imped[ing] the development of’ America’s ‘abundance of energy and natural resources’ and limiting ‘the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens’.
“These high energy costs devastate American consumers by driving up the cost of transportation, heating, utilities, farming, and manufacturing, while weakening our national security,” it adds.
One order is about ‘restoring’ American ‘greatness’ (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
‘Department of Government Efficiency’
“This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”
‘Unleashing’ Alaska’s natural resources
The order plans to use Alaska’s ‘vast lands and resources’ for the benefit of the US, tapping into its ‘abundant’ supply of ‘energy, mineral, timber, and seafood’ to ‘raise the prosperity of our citizens while helping to enhance [the] Nation’s economic and national security for generations to come’ by creating ‘high-quality jobs’ and delivering ‘price relief’.
‘Restoring names that honor American greatness’
For example, the ‘renaming of Mount McKinley’ and the Gulf of America. The order states: “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes.
“The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”
