WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced he will be speaking with the leaders of Canada and Mexico on Monday, just one day before the 25% tariffs he has imposed on these top trading partners take effect.

Following Trump’s announcement on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded with reciprocal 25% tariffs on U.S. products. Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated she is looking into “tariff and non-tariff measures to protect Mexico’s interests.”

“I’m set to talk with Prime Minister Trudeau tomorrow morning, and I’ll also be communicating with Mexico tomorrow morning,” Trump stated on Sunday while arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after returning from Florida. “They owe us a lot of money, and I’m confident they’ll make payments.”

Trump has claimed that tariffs serve as a strategy to compel these nations to curb the migration and fentanyl influx into the U.S. He regards tariffs as vital to his economic policy, utilizing them to raise tax income and safeguard American jobs. Additionally, he sees them as instruments for negotiation with different countries.

On Sunday, Trump expressed his desire for trade relations to be “balanced.”

As per the U.S. Trade Representative, the United States experienced a merchandise trade deficit of $80.1 billion with Canada in 2022, which marks a 68% rise from 2021. Meanwhile, the trade disparity with Mexico amounted to $131.1 billion in 2022, an increase of 24% from the previous year.

For Canadian energy products, including natural gas and oil, a reduced tariff of 10% was set. Trump has also instituted a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, which is set to start on Tuesday.

At a news briefing on Saturday, Trudeau remarked that he had not had a conversation with Trump since the latter took office. Trump mentioned that Americans might face some “short-term pain” due to the escalating trade conflict.

“But in the long run, the United States has been mistreated by nearly every country in the world,” he asserted, stating that the U.S. holds trade deficits with “almost” all nations.

“We’re going to make a change,” Trump vowed. “It’s been unfair.”

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal