MEMPHIS, Tenn. — President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that he is “ordering” United States carriers to do what they can to stop the delivery of fentanyl from China to the U.S.
In a thread of tweets about China’s newly announced tariffs on U.S. products, Trump said carriers must “search for and refuse” fentanyl shipments from China.
“Fentanyl kills 100,000 Americans a year,” Trump tweeted. “President Xi said this would stop – it didn’t.”
Carriers implicated in this presidential “order” include Amazon, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and Memphis-based FedEx.
A FedEx spokesperson said the company already has thorough searches and policies to stop illegal activity through their shipments.
“FedEx already has extensive security measures in place to prevent the use of our networks for illegal purposes,” the spokesperson said. “We follow the laws and regulations everywhere we do business and have a long history of close cooperation with authorities. FedEx supported passage of the STOP Act and encourages accelerated implementation and enforcement of its provisions to protect the health and safety of the American people.”
It is not clear what an “order” from the president means for the logistics company. FedEx CEO Fred Smith recently published an op-ed in The Washington Post criticizing the administration’s trade policies.
“FedEx already has extensive security measures in place to prevent the use of our networks for illegal purposes. We follow the laws and regulations everywhere we do business and have a long history of close cooperation with authorities. FedEx supported passage of the STOP Act and encourages accelerated implementation and enforcement of its provisions to protect the health and safety of the American people.” — FedEx spokesperson