U.S. President Donald Trump said he’s considering not renewing the North American free trade deal, citing his country being better off without goods produced by Canada and Mexico.
Trump made the remarks in the Oval Office on June 10 when reporters asked how confident he was that the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) would be renewed and what additional commitments he expects from Canada.
“I’m not looking to renew it,” Trump said, before criticizing CUSMA’s predecessor NAFTA as the “worst trade deal I’ve ever seen.”
Trump in his first term replaced NAFTA with CUSMA, but in later years soured on the negotiated trade agreement, accusing Canada and Mexico of taking advantage of the United States.
A review of CUSMA is slated for July 1, when the three countries will have to decide whether to extend the deal. Failing to do so would lead to annual reviews. A country could also decide to pull out.
This is a developing story, updates will follow.
By Noé Chartier
