State Senator Jay Block praised the recent agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to avoid tariffs. Block expressed his approval by stating "nice job!" in a post on X on February 3.

"The art of the deal," said Block. "Nice job!"

According to the New York Post article discussed in Block's post, the agreement temporarily pauses 25% tariffs for a month and involves deploying 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. The deal, announced on February 3, allows for further negotiations. In exchange for the pause, Mexico will send 10,000 members of the Mexican National Guard to its southern border to address issues related to fentanyl and illegal immigration. The United States will also increase efforts to prevent weapons from entering Mexico. These paused tariffs are in addition to existing ones.

Screenshot of State Senator Jay Block's Feb. 3 post on X | X

Block's praise followed three days after he shared Trump's announcement of imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% tariff on China in a February 2 post on X. In that post, Block commended "a president who fights back instead of a coward and a failure." He also shared a graphic explaining the tariffs and their rationale. Trump's post said that the tariffs were implemented through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) due to "the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our citizens, including fentanyl."

The Associated Press reported that in 2019, the Mexican government avoided tariffs by sending 15,000 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Jay Block is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former nuclear weapons officer. He became the first Republican to win a seat on the Sandoval County Commission, where he focused on economic development and public safety. According to his campaign website, he was endorsed by both Firefighters' and Sheriff's Deputies' unions.