Trumponomics, the Mexican Way

Mexico is raising tariffs. The twist? It's doing it to develop small business not billionaires

Mexico was once the poster child for free trade. In 1994, it joined the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), slashed tariffs, and opened its economy wider than almost any other developing country. The bet was simple: let foreign goods and capital flow in, and Mexico would grow by becoming a hub for global manufacturing.

That experiment defined Mexico’s modern economy. Cars assembled in Mexican plants filled U.S. highways, American supermarkets stocked Mexican produce, and multinational corporations set up shop south of the border. Few countries tied their fortunes so completely to free trade.

Now, three decades later, Mexico is quietly walking away from that model, and doing so in a way that feels oddly familiar… to Trump.