Commerce Secretary Says Trump Will Not Ease Up on Fentanyl-Related Tariffs

‘If fentanyl ends, I think these will come off,’ Lutnick said.

Shipping containers are stacked at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif., on March 5, 2025. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on March 9 that President Donald Trump is likely to maintain his tariff pressure on Mexico, Canada, and China regarding their roles in fentanyl trafficking into the United States.

“If fentanyl ends, I think these will come off. But if fentanyl does not end, or he’s uncertain about it, he will stay this way until he is comfortable,” Lutnick said in a March 9 interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”