Mexico gave Trump much of what he wanted. Tariffs still came.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took steps President Trump wanted, including sending troops to the border and cracking down on drug cartels. The tariffs went into effect anyway.

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Mexican army soldiers in Culiacan, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, last month. Mexico has stepped up its fight against drug cartels in the state after facing a tariff threat from President Trump in February.

Faced with the threat of tariffs from President Trump upon taking office, Mexico has gone to great lengths to comply with his demands.

Almost immediately, the government moved to secure its northern border by tightly restricting migration to the United States. Then it began hunting down cartel leaders in the dangerous fentanyl stronghold. And just last week, in a once-in-a-generation move, it handed over 29 of the country’s most powerful drug lords to the U.S.

But even after all that, Mr. Trump still imposed tariffs, shaking up global markets. The move left officials in both countries wondering what the White House was trying to accomplish and frantically asking the same question: What was Mr. Trump’s ultimate goal?

Even some people close to the president seem to disagree with the answer.

Some outside consultants predict that tariffs, currently 25 percent on most imports from Mexico and Canada, will provide a steady stream of revenue for the United States.

Others argue it is an attempt by Mr Trump to shake up the world order and demonstrate his power on the world stage.

Many believe the president, who has treated the trade deficit as a crisis for decades, is simply pursuing a threat he has loomed over Mexico for months. They say that moving forward, Mr. Trump is seeking to cement his reputation as a tough politician among world leaders as he advances his foreign policy agenda in other global hot spots, including Gaza and Ukraine.

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