Trump admits he backed down on Nafta after calls from Canada and Mexico's leaders

[Tennis]

Donald Trump has revealed he backed down on pledges to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) after calls from the leaders of Canada and Mexico.

He said that he had received calls from the two countries' leaders asking him to "renegotiate Nafta rather than terminate". His disclosures came a day after he told leaders of the two countries that he wouldn't end the trade pact, and just days after the White House said that the President was considering quitting it entirely.

The free trade agreement may still be terminated if "we do not reach a fair deal for all", he posted on Twitter.

He claimed that the relationship between the three countries was "good". It comes just two days after a series of rambling and confused attacks on Canada over its policy on milk.

Trump and Trudeau clash in phone call over dairy and lumber

He attacked Canada's decision to reduce the price of some milk products, writing on Twitter that "Canada has made business for our dairy farmers in Wisconsin and other border states very difficult". He went on to warn "We will not stand for this. Watch!"

Mexico's foreign minister appeared to agree with Mr Trump that the country was improving its relationship with the President.

Relations between the United States and Mexico have seen "enormous progress" during the first months of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said.

"We have generated a respectful dynamic through dialogue ... we've advanced enormously in the correct direction," Videgaray told local broadcaster Televisa in an interview.

The cancellation of Nafta had been a central part of Mr Trump's election campaign, and he regularly criticised Hillary Clinton for having approved of it. The deal was signed in the early 1990s, since when the United States has gone from running a small trade surplus with Mexico to a $63 billion deficit in 2016.

But the President said he had changed his mind since speaking to the leaders of the other countries which are party to the agreement, Mexico and Canada. Nevertheless, other members of his administration echoed his threat that he could still pull out if the US didn't get more favourable terms.

The three North American countries form one of the world's biggest trading blocs, and disruption could wreak havoc in the auto, agricultural and other industries.

The Mexican and Canadian currencies maintained their rebound early on Thursday after Trump's latest comments. The U.S. dollar dropped nearly 0.3 per cent against its Canadian counterpart and about 1 per cent against the peso.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a7705311.html

I think this gives us a really good idea of how his Presidency will go. Talk tough but doesn't back it up.

[Adolecent]

I think this gives us a really good idea of how his Presidency will go. Talk tough but doesn't back it up.

Thats the way he does business: create chaos, play dumbo and gambling to get something out of it in the end. Trumpydumb is only making 1 tiny little mistake, the people he is up against are smarter than real estate dealers.

[ohiostate124]

He backed down? What's wrong with negotiating if they want to negotiate with us now? He said he will still get rid of it if we can't reach a deal. Calm down with the click bait. People still don't understand how Trump does business.

[Sunseeker]

Talk tough but doesn't back it up.

I guess that's the "tough" president Republicans wanted after "weak" Obama.

If you talk tough you gotta back it up, otherwise you look like an idiot.

[ohiostate124]

I guess that's the "tough" president Republicans wanted after "weak" Obama.

If you talk tough you gotta back it up, otherwise you look like an idiot.

Pretty sure renegotiating Nafta to be more favorable to the US is backing it up.

[ohiostate124]

Trump has never done any business. He's always hired people to do it for him. The ONLY thing he's ever done is sell his name.

Ok bud. I'll take your word for it.

[Sunseeker]

Pretty sure renegotiating Nafta to be more favorable to the US is backing it up.

NAFTA is stupidly favorable towards the USA. It's been a massive boon to our economy for decades. What it's not favorable to is the little man. International treaties rarely are. There's no way to make it favorable towards the little man without essentially taking out the "FT" part, and then the deal wouldn't serve any purpose.

[CostinR]

Thats the way he does business: create chaos, play dumbo and gambling to get something out of it in the end. Trumpydumb is only making 1 tiny little mistake, the people he is up against are smarter than real estate dealers.

The problem you're making is in you assume the general level of competency of the Trump administration is the defined by the guy in the oval office.

It is not. Gary Cohn, Wilbur Ross, Rex Tillerson, Robert Lighzier and Steve Mnuchin are highly competent at their jobs and have the proven track records.

[Independent voter]

Right now $1 Canadian will buy you 0.73 US cents.

If you're a US citizen trying to compete with Canadian wood, milk, etc, the exchange rate has to be killing you. Why buy a pile of US lumber for $1000 when you can get the same lumber from Canada for $730?

[Jastall]

Of course he won't back out of NAFTA out of the blue. The economic backlash would be immense, especially in states near the two borders. This was an empty threat to force Canada/Mexico to the negotiating table swiftly. It seemingly worked to a degree, but I think both these countries know Trump doesn't quite have them by the balls. They may (or may not) benefit from the treaty more than the US, but that doesn't mean the US does not benefit from it at all and that Trump can simply cast it aside with no repercussions.

[Super Kami Dende]

Wait.. what?

How is that him backing down? It seems more like they contacted him and asked to renegotiate better terms rather then just terminating it.

I mean at the end of the day, I doubt US needs the other 2 as much as they need the US.

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Right now $1 Canadian will buy you 0.73 US cents.

If you're a US citizen trying to compete with Canadian wood, milk, etc, the exchange rate has to be killing you. Why buy a pile of US lumber for $1000 when you can get the same lumber from Canada for $730?

I'm unsure you understand how exchange rates and goods work.

[jackofwind]

Right now $1 Canadian will buy you 0.73 US cents.

If you're a US citizen trying to compete with Canadian wood, milk, etc, the exchange rate has to be killing you. Why buy a pile of US lumber for $1000 when you can get the same lumber from Canada for $730?

Why buy US lumber at all when Canadian lumber is forged in the crucible of the icy northern wilderness and impregnated by the manly virility of hairy-chested Canadian lumberjacks in red toques with half-buttoned plaid shirts and flasks of maple syrup dangling against their girthy thighs?

If your wood can't grab an axe and chop itself it's not manly enough to consider.

I mean at the end of the day, I doubt US needs the other 2 as much as they need the US.

Not at all, the US relies on Canada for a vast quantity of its natural resources, and a good portion of the electricity of some states.

[Tennis]

Wait.. what?

How is that him backing down? It seems more like they contacted him and asked to renegotiate better terms rather then just terminating it.

I mean at the end of the day, I doubt US needs the other 2 as much as they need the US.

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I'm unsure you understand how exchange rates and goods work.

The top export market for about 40 states is Canada

[Adolecent]

The problem you're making is in you assume the general level of competency of the Trump administration is the defined by the guy in the oval office.

It is not. Gary Cohn, Wilbur Ross, Rex Tillerson, Robert Lighzier and Steve Mnuchin are highly competent at their jobs and have the proven track records.

the slowest dictates the pace

[Super Kami Dende]

Not at all, the US relies on Canada for a vast quantity of its natural resources, and a good portion of the electricity of some states.

And how much stuff does Canada rely on back?

[jackofwind]

And how much stuff does Canada rely on back?

Nothing but money, and there are plenty of other markets that want our stuff. We could easily increase our exports to China, they're already clamouring for it.

[Tennis]

He backed down? What's wrong with negotiating if they want to negotiate with us now? He said he will still get rid of it if we can't reach a deal. Calm down with the click bait. People still don't understand how Trump does business.

What? He also backed down from draining the swamp and all those other promises.

The writing is on the wall son.

[Glnger]

#AlexJones, #BetaCuck

[CostinR]

the slowest dictates the pace

Trump's entire leadership style has always been to delegates the decision making to others while he serves a figurehead. That's how he ran his business. He is doing the same thing with the presidency and that's a good thing.

You think he knows anything on foreign policy minutiae of arms control that his administration used as a justification for the missile strike on Syria. Absolutely not, and yet he acted quickly and sensically because he delegates it to Mattis, McMaster, Tillerson, Haley and others and they did the job they are supposed to.

[Adolecent]

You think he knows anything on foreign policy minutiae of arms control that his administration used as a justification for the missile strike on Syria. Absolutely not, and yet he acted quickly and sensically because he delegates it to Mattis, McMaster, Tillerson, Haley and others and they did the job they are supposed to.

I wonder.., if trump knows nothing then why was he acting like he had all those great plans for America during his campaign? You remember, those great plans that are leading to nothing or just chaos the last months.

Trump is a moron, only you don't seem to recognise that.