President Trump threatens Mexico with a 5% tax on imports if it does not immediately provide water to the U.S., invoking legal obligations from a treaty from 1944.

Donald Trump threatened Mexico with an additional 5% tax on imports due to a dispute over water allocation along the common border. In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump stated that Mexico is not providing enough water, endangering animals in Texas. According to a treaty from 1944, Mexico is obligated to deliver water from the eastern Rio Grande basin to the U.S., in exchange for receiving water from the Colorado River.

Trump accused Mexico of not fulfilling its obligations in the last five years, owing nearly a billion cubic meters of water. He demanded that a quarter of this amount be released by December 31, emphasizing that American farmers urgently need this water. Disputes over water allocation are common, especially during drought periods.