Trump Slams NAFTA in Speech to Small Businesses
President Donald Trump will terminate NAFTA and start over if Mexico and Canada do not agree to change their ways, he said in a June 19 speech. Trump, who was speaking to the small business association National Federation of Independent Business, pivoted to NAFTA after complaining that Mexico does not prevent Central Americans from traveling to the U.S. to seek asylum. "They do nothing for us, and I see it through NAFTA," he said of Mexico. "I see with $100 billion-plus that they make on trade through NAFTA -- one of the worst deals ever made by this country. A disaster." Trump acknowledged that people ask him not to terminate NAFTA, and he said he tells them, "But it's no good." He said they respond: "Yeah, but we know what we have." The audience laughed.
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Trump again suggested bilateral deals with Mexico and Canada might replace NAFTA. He called Canada a great neighbor, and said he appreciates that they fought with the U.S. in World War I and World War II. But he also said of Canada, "We're treated horribly. Dairy. Dairy. Two-hundred-and-seventy-five percent tariff." He said the U.S. has a tremendous trade deficit with Canada, and then immediately acknowledged that people tell him that there isn't much of a deficit between the U.S. and Canada. "Well, they're not including two things: energy and timber," he said. "We have very good relationships with Canada. We have for a long time. And hopefully, that will work out. But Canada is not going to take advantage of the United States any longer, and Mexico is not going to take advantage of the United States any longer."