Trump to stay in NAFTA, for now

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he has told the leaders of Mexico and Canada that he will not pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement at this time but could still withdraw if he concludes a renegotiated pact is not “a fair deal for all.”

Trump tweeted early Thursday that he agreed in calls he received from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to remain a partner in the much-discussed trade agreement. The White House released a statement late Wednesday saying only that Trump had assured the two leaders in phone conversations that the U.S. would not withdraw from NAFTA at this time.

In his Twitter post, Trump called America’s relationships with the two hemispheric neighbors “very good” and said the prospects of a renegotiated deal are “very possible.”

But he also said that his consent to remaining in NAFTA for now is “subject to the fact that ifwe do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA.”

Speaking to reporters Thursday before a White House meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Trump said he’d been planning to “terminate NAFTA as of twoor threedays from now” but had been persuaded to reconsider, which he acknowledged “would be a pretty big, you know, shock to the system.”

Trump added, “Now, if I’m unable to make a fair deal, if I’m unable to make a fair deal for the United States, meaning a fair deal for our workers and our companies, I will terminate NAFTA. But we’re going to give renegotiation a good, strong shot.”

He later said renegotiation was “starting today.”

The statement came hours after administration officials said Trump was considering a draft executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the deal — though administration officials cautioned it was just one of a number of options being discussed by the presidentand his staff.

Some sawthe threat as posturing to gain leverage over Mexico and Canada as Trump tries to negotiate changes to the deal. Trump railed against the decades-old trade deal during his campaign, describing it as a “disaster.”

The administration appeared divided Wednesday over how and when to proceed.