A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent travels along the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near Tecate, California, U.S., March 28, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to threaten Mexico with tariffs in an effort to get the country to crack down on migrants seeking asylum in the United States, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Trump earlier on Thursday told reporters he would soon make a “dramatic” statement about the U.S. southern border with Mexico.

Citing three unnamed administration officials, the Post said the statement Trump teased and which he is planning on making on Friday would be about tariffs, although it said some White House aides were trying to talk him out of it.