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If North America was a business, its sign might read “Under New Management.”
Because soon the continent’s most consequential nations will all have new leaders.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October. President-elect Donald Trump’s second term begins on Jan. 20, and on Monday, at the same time Congress ratified his return, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he’s stepping down, triggering a Liberal Party process to temporarily replace him before a national election, as early as this spring, to succeed him.
The new management faces old issues, including legal trade of goods and services and illegal transit of people and drugs, as well as other bilateral and trilateral challenges — including the relationships between the new governments themselves.
Especially after Trump threatened across-the-board tariffs of 25% on Canadian and Mexican trade and hinted at unwinding the USMCA free-trade agreement when the pact comes up for renewal in 2026.
At a digressive news conference on Tuesday, Trump suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, saying “it has a beautiful ring.” On Wednesday, Sheinbaum showed reporters a 1607 map that included the Gulf of Mexico and labeled North America as “Mexican America.” She rhetorically asked: “Why don’t we call it Mexican America? It sounds pretty, no?”
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Publish date : 2025-01-08 10:31:00
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