The leaders of Mexico and Canada said they would advise President-elect Donald Trump to engage in dialogue in the wake of his pledge to slap tariffs on their countries, which they say will result in job kills and inflation, according to reports.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would advise Trump to engage in cooperation and negotiations instead of triggering a mutually negative trade war.

“One tariff will follow another and so on until we put our mutual businesses at risk,” Sheinbaum told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

On Monday, Trump promised to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada to stem the flow of illegal immigration and drugs, especially highly lethal Fentanyl, into the US when he takes office in January.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first executive orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25 percent tariff on ALL products entering the United States and its ridiculously open borders,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.

Trump also said he plans to add an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods “on top of any additional tariffs.”

Sheinbaum also noted that she would send the letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Mexico, Canada and China are the top trading partners for the United States, with about $798 billion in goods and services exchanged between them in 2023, according to USA Facts.

The three countries accounted for 42% of all US trade in 2023.

“What’s the point?” Sheinbaum asked, noting that American automakers such as General Motors and Ford have plants in Mexico.

She warned that tariff-for-tat tariffs would hurt automakers, as well as Mexico and the United States

“Why put them at risk with tariffs that would hurt both nations?” Sheinbaum wrote in the letter, the New York Times reported. “Any tariffs imposed by one side are likely to result in retaliatory tariffs, leading to risks for mixed businesses.”

Trudeau told reporters Tuesday that he spoke with Trump after the posts Monday night.

“We talked about some of the challenges that we can work on together. It was a good call,” he said. “This is a relationship that we know requires a certain amount of work, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

At his press conference, Sheinbaum noted that illegal crossings from Mexico to the United States have declined between December 2023 and November 2024, adding that “migrant caravans are no longer reaching the border,” the New York Times reported.

She also suggested that the United States could do more to address the root causes of immigration.

“Allocating even a fraction of what the United States spends on warfare toward peacebuilding and development would address the deeper drivers of migration,” Sheinbaum said.