Trump weighs Pacific-rim pact return
President pulled out of deal upon taking office
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has asked trade officials to explore the possibility of the United States rejoining the Trans-pacific Partnership agreement, a free trade deal he pulled out of during his first days in office as part of his “America first” agenda.
Trump’s request comes as he faces pressure from farm-state Republicans anxious that his protectionist trade policies could spiral into a trade war with China that would hit rural America.
Trump spent the 2016 presidential campaign ripping into the multinational pact, saying he could get a better deal for U.S. businesses by negotiating one-on-one with countries in the Pacific Rim.
“Last year, the president kept his promise to end the TPP deal negotiated by the Obama Administration because it was unfair to American workers and farmers,” the White House said in a statement. The president assigned his top trade advisers, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his new chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, “to take another look at whether or not a better deal could be negotiated.”
Trump first disclosed his request Thursday to a group of lawmakers at a White House meeting on trade. Lawmakers have been pressing Trump to shift course after escalating trade threats, including China’s plan to slap tariffs on soybeans and other U.S. crops.