Most leaders conveyed frustration or made requests to negotiate while some expressed gratitude for only getting the baseline rate.
On April 2, shortly after Donald Trump’s announcement of global reciprocal tariffs, members of his administration handed out sheets listing every country in the world with two figures. One listed a number representing the tariffs and trade barriers the administration believes that country has on the United States, though it’s been called into question if that represents a trade deficit calculation instead. The other listed the new tariff that would be charged to the country, at least 10 percent on every nation. Canada and Mexico, who are facing other tariffs and tariff threats, were not included on the list. Nor was Cuba, where Washington retains a trade embargo.
Reactions from presidents across the region were mixed. Canada’s prime minister announced retaliatory measures. Others, like Brazil’s president or the government of Guatemala, said they would leverage existing trade agreements to stymie the tariffs. Several leaders, like the president of Argentina, were more demure or even celebratory, expressing gratitude to only face the baseline rate of 10 percent. The most common reaction was to press for negotiation and dialogue with the U.S. government.
AS/COA Online goes through countries’ presidential or governmental responses, when available, in alphabetical order.
Argentina
Argentine
President Javier Milei shared a post on X seemingly celebrating after the tariff announcement. “Friends will be Friends… TMAP [everything is going according to plan]. VLLC! [¡Viva la libertad, carajo!]” he wrote, along with a music video of the “Friends Will Be Friends” song by Queen. He also posted a screenshot on Instagram which reads “Milei thanks Trump.”
Brazil
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he was considering “all possible actions” to respond to Trump so that the measures comply with World Trade Organization principles.
The same day, Brazil’s Congress unanimously approved a bill that provides the president with new tools to address Trump’s trade actions, including creating new import taxes, imposing import restrictions, suspending trade concessions, and not honoring intellectual property rights.
Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the tariffs, saying the effects on the global economy will be “monumental.” Although Canada is not among the countries mentioned in the April 2 announcement, the country is facing other new tariffs from Washington, including those on the auto industry, which are in effect. Carney called these “unwarranted,” “unjustified,” and “misguided.”
“We are going to fight these tariffs with countermeasures. We are going to protect our workers and we are going to build the strongest economy in the G7,” Carney said on a video posted on his X account. On April 3, Carney announced 25 percent tariffs on vehicles imported from the United States that don’t comply with the USMCA.
Chile
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said he “regrets this unilateral measure” taken by the United States and that the Chilean government has all its teams “working to analyze the consequences of this measure.” “This is not a measure that is particularly directed towards Chile,” he added, highlighting the country is facing the baseline 10 percent tariff.
The United States and Chile share a free trade agreement.
Colombia
“The U.S. government now believes that by raising tariffs on its imports in general, it can increase its own production, wealth, and employment; in my opinion, this may be a big mistake,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on X. “Latin America, including Colombia, benefits from Trump’s tariff policy,” he added.
The Ministries of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, and Foreign Affairs published a joint statement saying the imposition of these new tariffs are an opportunity to accelerate an “internationalization strategy” and increase the scope of markets for Colombian goods. The ministries said the government “will continue to work in coordination” with the United States and the private sector.
The United States and Colombia share a free trade agreement.
Costa Rica
During his weekly press conference, President Rodrigo Chaves commented on the new tariffs. “If the tide rises and lifts our boats, all at once, it’s a new reality; they’re not punishing us in that sense. We’ll see,” he said.
Officials from the Costa Rican Ministry of Exterior Commerce told the press they would engage in a dialogue with the United States to ensure their products had access to the U.S. markets. Costa Rica is party to CAFTA-DR, the free trade agreement between Central America, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.
Dominican Republic
“In relative terms, the country fared well, but we think we can still negotiate better,” said President Luis Abinader. He said he will hold a bilateral conversation with the Trump administration to clarify the tariff.
“I don’t see a reduction in exports in any way, but I would like to have conditions in place to ensure respect for the free trade agreement and other benefits,” he said. The Dominican Republic is a member of the CAFTA-DR.
Ecuador
In a statement, Ecuador’s Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment, and Fisheries acknowleged that the country received the baseline tax, stating “Ecuador has only received the 10 percent tariff, without any additional measures or specific sanctions.”
The ministry went on to say the United States will remain Ecuador’s “main trade partner.” Ecuador is one of several countries in the region that uses the U.S. dollar as its currency.
El Salvador
“Long-term thinking > short-term thinking,” posted Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on X on April 3. “Keep that in mind every time you look at a chart.”
El Salvador is party to CAFTA-DR.
Guatemala
The Guatemalan Ministry of Economy published a statement saying the retaliatory tariffs announced by President Trump violate the CAFTA-DR free trade agreement. “A space of diplomatic and commercial negotiation exists from the side of the government of Guatemala to resolve the commercial barriers signaled by the Foreign Trade Barrier Report,” the ministry said.
Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will announce a “comprehensive program” regarding tariffs on April 3, and that she will not enter “a tit-for-tat on tariffs.”
“Today it is very important to say that Mexico is respected by the United States and the entire world. And this relationship of respect that we have managed to build with President Trump, which is based on open dialogue, collaboration, coordination, and respect, has allowed us to have a preferential status compared to other countries today,” she said. Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard echoed this, calling Mexico’s April 2 exclusion “a great accomplishment.”
Sheinbaum, though, admitted the global impact of the worldwide tariffs would affect her country.
Nicaragua
Vice President Rosario Murillo, who also serves the country’s co-president since a January constitutional reform, said, “Like all governments around the world, we have proceeded to convene economic teams and analyze the scope of their announcements and decisions.” With 18 percent reciprocal tariffs, Nicaragua was one of three countries in the region to receive more than the baseline rate.
Nicaragua is party to CAFTA-DR.
Paraguay
” This situation has caught Paraguay in a very bad position,” said Paraguayan President Santiago Peña in an interview on April 4. “This decision is affecting Paraguay to a lesser extent. This will affect countries differently because not all are in the same trade and tariff situation, but in relative terms, we are much better off compared to others,” he added.
Peru
Peruvian Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén said the government is waiting for more precise information on what Peruvian products will be affected. “The Peruvian economy is open to markets, and we always need to seek new ones or expand existing ones,” he added.
The United States and Peru share a free trade agreement.
Uruguay
“These forces us to sit down and talk,” said Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi on April 3, “because we all saw that some countries, we expected to experience a strong impact were left out. This means that the negotiations are productive, specifically Mexico and Canada. There’s a strong signal there. This forces us to sit down and negotiate, to talk, because this is the starting point.”
In a press conference, Orsi noted that Mercosur, the trade bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, received lower tariff rates than Asia.
Venezuela
“Whatever disturbances arise, we are facing them,” said Venezuela’s Nicólas Maduro in a video posted to Telegram on April 3. Maduro expressed that his government was following its economic plan.
The Trump administration placed a 15 percent reciprocal tariffs on Venezuela, which come in addition to the cancellation of oil and gas licenses in the country and threats of 25 percent tariffs on any country that imports Venezuelan oil. (https://www.as-coa.org/articles/americas-react-trumps-reciprocal-tariffs)
