For years, even as fentanyl has killed Americans at an astonishing rate, Mexico has claimed that it was doing everything possible to crack down on production of the drug.

This week, President Trump began using punishing new tariffs to test that claim.

Natalie Kitroeff, who is the Mexico City bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses the surprising result of his tactics.

Guest: Natalie Kitroeff, the Mexico City bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Mr. Trump’s threats and Mexico’s crackdown have hit Mexican cartels.
• Mexico gave Mr. Trump much of what he wanted. That didn’t fend off tariffs.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Daniele Volpe for The New York Times

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