Trump pulls the U.S. out of Trans-Pacific trade deal
WASHINGTON — Charting a new American course abroad, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, using one of his first actions in office to reject a centerpiece of Barack Obama’s attempts to counter China and deepen U.S. ties in Asia.
For Trump, the move was a fulfillment of a central campaign promise. He has repeatedly cast the 12-nation trade pact — which was eagerly sought by U.S. allies in Asia — as detrimental to Amer- ican businesses.
“Great thing for the American worker that we just did,” Trump said in brief remarks as he signed a notice in the Oval Office.
The Obama administration spent years negotiating the Pacific Rim pact, though the mood in Washington on trade soured over