Canada and the United States struck a last-minute NAFTA deal Sunday night.
Hours before the midnight deadline, the two countries agreed to a renewed trilateral agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, which is now dubbed “USMCA” — the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
The USMCA replaces the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has been in effect since 1994.
Late last night, our deadline, we reached a wonderful new Trade Deal with Canada, to be added into the deal already reached with Mexico. The new name will be The United States Mexico Canada Agreement, or USMCA. It is a great deal for all three countries, solves the many……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2018
….deficiencies and mistakes in NAFTA, greatly opens markets to our Farmers and Manufacturers, reduces Trade Barriers to the U.S. and will bring all three Great Nations together in competition with the rest of the world. The USMCA is a historic transaction!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2018
And while the two agreements are quite similar, two of the most notable changes include Canada agreeing to grant US farmers greater access to its dairy market and limit its automotive exports to the US.
On Monday morning during President Donald Trump’s official press conference on the agreement at the White House, Trump emphasized that the new name “has a good ring to it.”
Of course, the Twitterverse was buzzing with mixed reactions including confusion and humour after the new name was unveiled.
Here are some of the best reactions to the agreement’s name change.
#USMCA … so how do you pronounce this trilateral agreement? us-muh-ca? us-mca? us-mc-ah? Inquiring minds want to know
— Greer Meisels (@GreerMeisels) October 1, 2018
— Lauriekay25 (@lauriekay25) October 1, 2018
#USMCA is a terrible acronym. Are we expected to say each letter?
— Matthew Law (@MatthewKLaw) October 1, 2018
I thought Donald was supposed to be the king of rebranding. #USMCA is not a better name that #NAFTA. At least NAFTA could be pronounced. At least NAFTA had the word trade in it to let you know what kind of agreement it was. #USMCA sucks! @realDonaldTrump
— Denise Ingram (@leclemot) October 1, 2018
USMCA? You-sem-ka? Even this free trade deal sounds like it was engineered by Russia #USMCA #NAFTA
— Warren Cass (@babygotcass) October 1, 2018
So there’s a new deal between Canada, US and Mexico to replace #NAFTA. It’s called #USMCA. Would you pronounce that “ooz-mah-ka” ? So much easier to say than NAFTA
— AmazonMessages (@AmazonMessages) October 1, 2018
United States Marine Corp Association? #USMCA#DumbName
— SammiLeigh ❤ (@SammiLeighTully) October 1, 2018
So #NAFTA is replaced with #USMCA. Help me with the pronunciation. Is is *us-im-ca* or *use-simcha* or *use-muck-a* or just sing-songy like Village People *YMCA*? pic.twitter.com/uCvcXmtM1X
— Rhona Raskin (@RhonaRaskin) October 1, 2018
People do realize that, as the only country whose acronym includes a vowel, the US should have been in the middle of the name of the new trade agreement? Try saying USMCA.
— Craig Forcese (@cforcese) October 1, 2018
New name (USMCA) not to be confused with the little-known, seldom used 242 year old USMC, of course. No similarity there. Nope, nope, nope. pic.twitter.com/UIgjObwXuY
— Laura Heidy (@AudacityOfHate) October 1, 2018
USMCA in Canada is pronounced the French way, we say NAFTA
— Will Fowler (@thefutureyousee) October 1, 2018
So USA, Canada & Mexico have a new NAFTA or USMCA or better known as the YMCA… The Yankee , Mexican & Canadian Agreement. pic.twitter.com/phVTSjfXTQ
— Mark Trowman (@marktrowman) October 1, 2018
#NAFTA is now #USMCA. Does that mean we all have to learn to drive motorcycles @USMCA_official? Why when I hear this name do I think about @YMCA?
— Ryan Leopold (@ryanleopold_can) October 1, 2018
Putting America first by renaming an existing deal #NAFTA and adding the US initials first #USMCA pic.twitter.com/rb8lXAMZBq
— Paul (@EasySimpleSmart) October 1, 2018
If Yemen (instead of the USA) was part of the new NAFTA agreement, the name of the new agreement would be YMCA 🎵🎵 🤠👮♂️👨🚒🤷♀️🙅♀️🙆♀️#USMCA
— Melania Marin (@marinrex) October 1, 2018
#USMCA No one checked that this acronym was already used for United States Minority Contractors Association and the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association?
— Dmin (@vardmin) October 1, 2018
It’s fun to stay at the U-S-M-C-A! Come on, everybody SING! #usmca #nafta pic.twitter.com/ggK9BorZvq
— VINYL DLUX (@VinylDlux) October 1, 2018
Everybody, just call it #NAFTA2. Forget this #USMCA. Sounds like a US Marine Corps thing
— Ed White (@EdWhiteMarkets) October 1, 2018
With files from Kenneth Chan.