Trump threatens Congress — Stay out of my plans for NAFTA

[GMDino]

1) I didn't see a thread to post about his "trade deal" with Mexico.

2) While his supporters and defenders will shake their fists in disbelief this shows (again) that Trump lacks even a basic understanding of what he can and cannot do and believes he was elected CEO with no one to tell him what to do.  The same people who lauded this "handling" of NK while the rest of the country calmly explained he was making a fool of himself.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/trump-s-threatens-congress-stay-out-of-my-plans-for-nafta/article/530961

Quote:[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]U.S. President Donald Trump warned Congress on Saturday not to interfere with his plans for a new North American Free Trade Agreement or he would cancel the deal entirely.
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Trump again took to Twitter on Saturday, reports the Financial Post, this time saying there was no political necessity to include Canada in the trilateral trade agreement and threatening Congress to stay out of the trade negotiations.

“There is no political necessity to keep Canada in the new NAFTA deal. If we don’t make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out,” Trump said on Twitter.

“Congress should not interfere w/ these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely & we will be far better off,” he added.

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Quote:
[/url]Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump





There is no political necessity to keep Canada in the new NAFTA deal. If we don’t make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out. Congress should not interfere w/ these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely & we will be far better off...
11:03 AM - Sep 1, 2018

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On Friday, Trump notified Congress he would be signing a revamped deal with Mexico within 90 days, regardless of whether Canada joined or not. But of course, Trump pulled his usual about-face on the issue, tweeting he didn't need Canada, anyway. “If we don’t make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out,” he wrote.

The chance for a bilateral deal?

Trump already has been warned that a trade deal that just includes Mexico would have a difficult time getting approved in Congress unless Canada was included, according to Reuters. Support from Democrats would be needed to pass a purely bilateral deal, lawmakers said on Friday.

It will be interesting to see what Congress does in light of the fact that according to law, any rewrite of the trilateral trade deal must be voted on to assure its passage. But Congress has a chance here to stand up to the president and demand a trilateral deal that does include Mexico and Canada.

Quote:
Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump





....Remember, NAFTA was one of the WORST Trade Deals ever made. The U.S. lost thousands of businesses and millions of jobs. We were far better off before NAFTA - should never have been signed. Even the Vat Tax was not accounted for. We make new deal or go back to pre-NAFTA!
11:12 AM - Sep 1, 2018

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Additionally, according to Moshe Lander, an economics professor at Concordia University, Trump doesn’t have the authority to pull out of NAFTA “in the simple way he presents.” The U.S. must give six-months notice to both Canada and Mexico if it intends to pull out of the deal.

Lander also believes Trump would need Congressional approval to withdraw from NAFTA “Because NAFTA was enacted through an act of Congress, Congress has to undo it,” he said in a phone interview.

CTV News Canada notes, Gilles LeVasseur, a business and law professor at the University of Ottawa, said Trump's Saturday Tweets may suggest he could be nervous that he might fail to have Congressional support because Congress is pro-trade.

Quote:
Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump





We shouldn’t have to buy our friends with bad Trade Deals and Free Military Protection!
6:55 PM - Sep 1, 2018

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"Congress is more open to Canada than we expect, Republicans and Democrats," he said. "Yes they want changes, yes they want improvements, but they don't want to throw everything away."

Krzysztof Pelc, a political science professor at McGill University, pointed out Trump's threats are nothing more than bullying in an attempt to get his own way. "Congress' refusal to ratify a deal without Canada in it weakens Trump's hand, so to achieve his ends, he's attempting to bully not only Canada but the U.S. Congress as well," he wrote in an email.

While the majority of Americans, including Congress believe we are friends with Canada, and this is a friendship that goes back hundreds of years, some people also believe Trump is no friend to Canada or anyone else, unless it suits his own personal agenda.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard was very blunt, telling reporters that Trump is not a friend to Canada. "The United States is a great friend and ally of Canada, but clearly Mr. Trump is not," he said while campaigning in Quebec City. "He is certainly not an ally and is not acting like an ally, and not just with Canada."

[BmorePat87]

Trump can "leave" NAFTA but the bulk of what NAFTA does is codified into law and would continue

[NATI BENGALS]

Imagine if he gets us a sweet deal like he did with NoKo.

Mexico would probably start clearing out their prisons and shipping them to America and Trump will say we are finally safe thanks to him. Trumpets will sing his praise.

[Belsnickel]

So, something of note. A lot of what is in this deal was also in the TPP. The TPP was a better deal (if you're a free trade proponent, which conservatives and neo-liberals have tended to be).

Now, if you're a fan of free trade deals, then you should be calling for an update to NAFTA. This isn't a comprehensive update, not enough for the needs, though. This is a policy that was crafted during Bush I's administration. Internet commerce, cell phones, and a host of other things weren't a part of the economy in the same way they are now. We need to update NAFTA if we are going to continue the deal, but it needs to be done in a more comprehensive way.