Trump's CUSMA SPLIT Plan BACKFIRES as MEXICO Gives CANADA More LEVERAGE Against USA

So Mexico just refused Washington's easiest move, separate Canada from the trade fight.That leaves the White House facing two negotiating partners who can still say no.And for Canada, this is a real diplomatic win.Mexico is still talking directly with the United States about its own disputes, but it's made one point very clear.Kuzma remains a three -country agreement.

You know that this has really ticked off Trump and his sycophants.He wanted the neighbors dealing with pressure one at a time.Well, Mexico has now made that much harder.The old divide and pressure routine just hit a very inconvenient wall, and that wall is called Canada and Mexico refusing to walk away from each other.

Yeah.Now, most Canadians are probably thinking, fine, Mexico made a diplomatic statement.Whoop -dee -doo.What does that actually change?Well, Quite a bit truthfully.Trade agreements they sound dry until they hit you personally right?

Rules covering autos, agriculture, energy, manufacturing and cross -border investment affect real decisions that are made by companies every single day which in turn affect the price of almost every product that you buy.

A company deciding where to build a plant wants predictable rules.A farmer wants to know whether the market will still be open next year.An auto supplier wants to know whether parts can cross the border without being hit by a new demand from Washington.

Uncertainty makes all of those decisions harder and it hits you harder in the wallet.Now listen, Mexico's position here doesn't solve the negotiations, but what it does is it reduces one major risk for Canada.The possibility that Mexico would quietly accept a separate deal and leave Ottawa negotiating on our own.

That possibility was exactly what Washington could have used as pressure on Canada.They could have said, Mexico is moving ahead.You're falling behind.Accept the terms of the agreement.or watch the agreement disappear around you.Well, Mexico just made that threat disappear itself.

The key message came from Roberto Velasco Alvarez, a senior Mexican foreign affairs official involved in the negotiations.He was asked whether Mexico would consider a separate agreement with the U .S.that excluded Canada.

The answer was very clear, Dave.Mexico continues to view CUSMA or the USMCA, what the Americans call it, as a trilateral agreement.Mexico believes the three countries should preserve that continental framework.

And that wording matters because Mexico, he didn't promise that every disagreement would be discussed with Canada sitting side by side.That would be completely unrealistic.Canada has its own disputes with Washington and Mexico has its own disputes with Washington.

Yeah, Mexico can negotiate issues that are specific to Mexico and Canada can negotiate issues that are specific to Canada.

The important point here is what happens after those bilateral discussions.Mexico is saying that separate conversations should not become a permanent replacement for a three country agreement.And that gives Canada something it desperately needs in a difficult negotiation.time.Ottawa does not have to panic every single time that Trump says Mexico is being more cooperative, which they tend to ram down our throats every single chance that they get.

Yeah.Trump's preferred way to deal with any negotiation is to divide and conquer.Deal with Mexico separately.Deal with Canada separately.Make each country believe the other one is about to receive a better agreement.Then watch the pressure rise.

Canada worries that Mexico is getting a deal.Mexico worries that Canada is getting a deal.Both sides start making early concessions just to avoid being the last country standing.

But Carney and Scheinbaum, they see the writing on the wall,they're not falling for it.They know that this is exactly how you're negotiating leverage disappears.You surrender something before you know what it's worth.And the other side says it was never a concession in the first place.

Mexico's statement puts a stop to that pressure campaign that Trump always loves to put on.Canada can now say, we will deal with our own negotiating issues, but we are not negotiating as though a continental agreement has already been replaced.Mexico, they can say the same thing.The two countries will stand together.

For Trump and Jameson Greer, that is an irritating development.And I like that.The pressure works best when the neighbors, they feel isolated.Mexico not only just made Canada feel less isolated, but is showing now that we are united.

And here's the part that Trump and his cronies would prefer to ignore.The United States is the largest economy in the partnership, but it does not produce everything it needs by itself.Trump keeps saying he needs nothing from Canada or Mexico but that's just political rhetoric.There is not a shred of truth in anything that that guy says.

American factories depend on parts from Canada and Mexico.American farmers depend on access to workers, equipment and export markets.American consumers depend on products that cross the border several times before they reach a store.To say that the US needs nothing from Canada or Mexico is like saying the guy holding the steering wheel ... the entire car.It's just absurd.

What Trump fails to tell the American people is that if he turns that supply network into a permanent political obstacle course, the cost does not land only in Ottawa or Mexico City.It lands on American manufacturers, dealerships, farmers, and households.

Federal Reserve researchers have found that his 2025 tariffs have already pushedcore goods prices ... up by 3 .1 % with those costs being passed through almost ... dollar -for -dollar to consumers Americans are already ... paying the price for his tariffs.

And that is the uncomfortable math here, people.A country can use its market as leverage, but it also has to live with the price of disrupting the supply chain connected to that market.

Mexico understands this.Canada understands this.Now, the United States, it understands it as well.It just refuses to acknowledge it publicly because it might make them look a little weaker.

Yeah.And that is why a trilateral system remains useful.It gives companies one broad set of expectations instead of forcing every industry to build three separate contingency plans.And it gives all three governments a reason to resolve disputes without tearing apart the network that supports millions of jobs.

Now, we know we're dealing with a buffoon south of the border.So just because it would be good for all parties does not guarantee that is the way he will go.Trump's change with the win diplomacy makes the United front with Mexico even more important.

Yeah.And for Canada, Mexico's position creates three immediate advantages.First, Ottawa has more room to negotiate.Canada doesn't have to accept every U .S.demand.

simply to avoid being abandoned.

Second, Canada can push back against the idea that it's the only difficult partner.Mexico's message makes it clear that the three country agreement is bigger than one bilateral dispute.

Third, Canada can keep building alternatives.Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, and other middle powers are becoming more important to Ottawa's trade strategy.

Now listen, Canada's position is stronger when it has options, not fantasies.The goal here is to remain engaged with the United States while making sure that Trump is not the only door.Canada can use.Mexico is doing something similar.It wants access to the American market, but it doesn't want that access to require surrendering the three country arrangement that protects its border and economic interests.

Canada and Mexico may disagree on plenty of details, but they both benefit when neither country is forced to negotiate from a position of panic.

And let's be perfectly clear here, Canadians, we're fed up with this US administration.From Trump threatening more terrorists because of wildfire smoke this week, to the US ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra is insulting us at every turn, and then there's even Jameson Greer saying that we have to bend to everything.

What Canadians can be proud of is the fact that the one thing that has become perfectly clear over the last 20 months is that Canada is not waiting helplessly for Washington to decide what happens next when it comes to our future.

You know, and luckily, Canada has a partner that also understands that pressure and feels the same way.Mexico has chosen to defend the three country framework because it sees the danger in allowing North America to be broken into isolated bilateral deals.

Ottawa now has a stronger reason to slow down, examine every demand and ask what the United States is offering in return.The era of giving away concessions first and hoping for goodwill later, that's over.If Trump wants changes to auto rules, agriculture, energy, or digital trade, it needs to explain what Canada receives in exchange.

And Mexico's position makes it harder to use fear as the answer.Canada does not have to sign a weak arrangement simply because it's worried Mexico may leave.In fact, I think the message is really clear from Canadians.No deal is better than a bad deal.

So, Washington will continue pressing for changes.Canada will continuedefending its interests, Mexico will continue handling its own bilateral concerns while protecting the broader agreement.

And there'll be plenty of public posturing, you know that.Officials will say one country is moving faster, another country is being unreasonable.Someone will announce progress and then someone else will deny that that progress even means anything.

The goal is not to have a permanent confrontation with the United States.The goal is a relationship where Canada can cooperate without being ordered around Mexico's position.It helps move that relationship in that direction.

Now there's also a larger message here for middle powers around the world.Countries do not need to choose between surrender and isolation.They can cooperate with a powerful neighbor while building relationships elsewhere.

Canada and Mexico are showing that economic dependence doesn't require political silence.Both countries need access to the United States, of course, but both countries also have reasons to protect their own interests.That is why this move has attracted attention beyond the Kuzma negotiations.It shows that Washington cannot assume that every partner will accept a separate deal just because the American market is larger.

Yeah, size gives a country power.It does not give that country unlimited power.And when two neighbors understand that their combined position is stronger than the isolated position, the negotiating room changes very quickly.And Mexico has just reminded Trump of that basic fact.

Yes, indeed.Now we want to hear from you.Do you think Mexico's position will force Washington to take Canada more seriously during the Kuzma negotiations?

Or will the White House continue trying to split the two countries apart?

Put your thoughts in the comments below.And while you're down there, check out the pinned comment where you can sign up for oursub stack check out our Facebook page and buy some merch yeah and don't forget to like share and hype this so that other people can weigh in on this as well thanks for watching everyone and we'll see you tomorrow ciao for now