How Mexico and Canada are trying to bypass Donald Trump

A FEW DAYS before Donald Trump announced that he was not going to act on his threat to impose a 5% tariff on Mexico’s exports to the United States, a group of Mexican and American businessmen had dinner with two American politicians, one local and one national, in a Republican-voting state. The Mexicans produced economic data showing what the cost of such a tariff on the state and counties might be. The next day both politicians made public statements of concern about the levies.

Since June 7th, when the proposed tariffs were “indefinitely suspended”, the focus has been on the work done by Mexico’s negotiators in Washington. They agreed to send 6,000 national guardsmen to Mexico’s southern border and to host asylum-seekers as they await news of their claims from the United States. Mr Trump later claimed to have a second “secret” deal with Mexico, waving a sheet of paper in front of photographers. It appeared to show a promise that there would be “burden-sharing” of processing refugees.

But the kind of work done in the American restaurant helps, too. Many in Mexico think their best chance of curbing Mr Trump’s worst instincts is by persuading friends who can appeal to his self-interest. In 2017 the president reportedly reversed a decision to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on his 100th day in...