In quick shift, Trump nixes axing NAFTA
WASHINGTON — A senior Trump administration official said there are “military preparations that are underway” as part of a plan to respond to North Korea’s nuclear saber-rattling.
“What you see is really an integrated effort to prioritize diplomatic and informational aspects of national power, but also what you’ll see soon is using the economic dimension of national power as well as the military preparations that are underway,” the official told reporters Wednesday afternoon, saying a “broad range of options” are on the table.
The comments were made in a background briefing to reporters as senators gathered nearby for an unusual classified briefing on the White House grounds about how the administration is responding to North Korea’s aggressive attempts to expand its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
That official, who insisted on speaking without attribution, demurred when asked to explain what he meant by “military preparations,” while emphasizing economic pressures and work with other countries including China, Japan and South Korea to try to force North Korea back to the negotiating table.
“I don’t think we’re going to describe those in any detail,” the official said, adding there are a “broad range of options to remove this threat.”
That includes ramping up multilateral sanctions, pushing China to further isolate the regime, and returning North Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
That official wasn’t the only one sounding a heavy note.
Secretary of State Tillerson (photo), Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats issued a joint statement after they briefed the senators warning of the “growing threat” posed by North Korea to both the U.S. and its allies.
“North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is an urgent national security threat and top foreign policy priority,” the trio said.
“The United States seeks stability and the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We remain open to negotiations toward that goal. However, we remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said preemptive strikes were not discussed at the White House briefing and that “it was all about preliminary preparations,” pointing to the movement of the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and recent addition of a regional missile defense system.
“The level of the threat here is significant and real,” he warned.
Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, oversaw on Wednesday North Korea’s “largest ever” combined live-fire artillery demo, marking the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, state-operated Korean Central News Agency said.
“The brave artillerymen mercilessly and satisfactorily hit the targets, and the gunshots were very correct,” Kim said, according to the news agency dispatch. PRESIDENT TRUMP changed his tune on the North American Free Trade Agreement on Wednesday after talking with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.
Trump told the leaders of both countries he will not pull out of the Clinton-era trade pact as he had threatened, instead vowing to rework the deal.
The White House made the surprise announcement in a read-out of calls between the world leaders.
The short statement said the President “agreed not to terminate NAFTA at this time.”
Instead, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “agreed to proceed swiftly, according to their required internal procedures, to enable the renegotiation” of the trade deal to “the benefit of all three countries.”
The statement was released hours after several reports that Trump was readying an executive order that would have withdrawn the U.S. from NAFTA.
The edict would have terminated the Clinton-era trade pact between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, Politico first reported Wednesday.
Trump has labeled NAFTA “the worst trade deal” and a “disaster.”