[ Source : BBC ]
Less than a week into his presidency, Donald Trump has instigated his first international tariff dispute.
And the target isn’t China, Mexico or Canada – frequent subjects of his ire – it’s Colombia, one of America’s closest allies in South America.
Colombia’s offence was refusing to allow two US flights carrying deported migrants to land because they were military, not civilian, transport planes. That appears to have been enough to prompt Trump to drop the hammer.
“We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they forced into the United States,” Trump posted on his social media site.
On top of the 25% tariffs he said he would impose, Trump said the US would introduce a travel ban and “immediate visa revocations” on Colombian government officials, as well as its allies and supporters.
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Trump orders 25% tariffs on Colombia over migrants row
For his first week in office, the US president had seemed to be prioritising executive action on immigration over trade measures – even if the latter were a key campaign promise. As if to drive that point home, his first major announced tariffs are being enacted to punish a nation that he views as not sufficiently supporting America’s new hard-line immigration polices.
On a day when Trump had no public appearances – he’s at his Miami resort, having reportedly played a morning round of golf – the president has chosen to make an example of Colombia.
He is serving a warning to US allies and adversaries alike: If you don’t co-operate with the US, the consequences will be severe.
