Trump has claimed he’s wanted to terminate NAFTA for years now.
The international trade agreement is, according to him, “a disaster.”
But despite a lot of recent rhetoric on the issues he specifically has with Canada-US trade relations, the President spoke with both Prime Minister Trudeau and President Peña Nieto of Mexico late yesterday afternoon and “agreed not to terminate NAFTA at this time.”
It is not clear whether he spoke with the two leaders in separate calls or together. Trump tweeted this early this morning :
I received calls from the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada asking to renegotiate NAFTA rather than terminate. I agreed..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2017
…subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA. Relationships are good-deal very possible!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2017
See also
- Trudeau and Trump have phone call to discuss Canada-US trade relations
- Stephen Colbert takes on Canada-US trade relations in hilarious opening monologue (VIDEO)
- Trump's softwood tariffs cause Canadian loonie to fall into 14 month low
According to a release from the White House, the three leaders have agreed to a renegotiation rather than a termination at this time with Trump adding:
It is my privilege to bring NAFTA up to date through renegotiation. It is an honor to deal with both President Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Trudeau, and I believe that the end result will make all three countries stronger and better.
Rumours have been swirling that Trump is considering issuing an Executive Order to terminate NAFTA.
You can read the White House’s full statement on the calls below:
Late this afternoon, President Donald J. Trump spoke with both President Peña Nieto of Mexico and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada. Both conversations were pleasant and productive. President Trump agreed not to terminate NAFTA at this time and the leaders agreed to proceed swiftly, according to their required internal procedures, to enable the renegotiation of the NAFTA deal to the benefit of all three countries. President Trump said, “it is my privilege to bring NAFTA up to date through renegotiation. It is an honor to deal with both President Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Trudeau, and I believe that the end result will make all three countries stronger and better.”