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Trump threatens 200% tariff on Deere imports from Mexico
Former President Donald Trump says John Deere will face steep tariffs on machinery made in Mexico if he’s reelected.
“Just notifying John Deere right now, if you do that, we’re putting a 200% tariff on anything you want to sell into the United States,” Trump said during a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
In June, Deere announced it would shift production of skid loaders and compact track loaders from its plant in Dubuque to facilities in Mexico by the end of 2026. “They think they’re going to make the product cheaper in Mexico and then sell it in for the same prices they did before,” Trump said, “make a lot of money by getting rid of our labor and our jobs.”
Since March, Deere has laid off about 2300 workers at its plants in Ankeny, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Waterloo, and the Quad Cities and at its research and business offices in Dubuque, Johnston, Urbandale, and Moline, Illinois. Deere has said it’s responding to market conditions, as lower crop prices and higher interest rates have depressed demand for its equipment. Deere has not responded directly to Trump’s comments, but a company spokesperson said it is “sometimes necessary to move less complex operations: to other locations in order to position Deere’s “highly value-added activities” in U.S. factories.
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