President Trump’s reelection campaign is taking a victory lap with the implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Accord trade deal this week and using it against his possible opponent.
The pact, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement that Trump has long opposed, is seen as a fulfillment of the President’s campaign promise to renegotiate “bad trade deals.” The Trump team is highlighting NAFTA’s 1993 Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s alleged vote as Senator from Delaware and is putting the new deal on the field for the President as a job creator in the United States.
“President Trump promised to put the United States first and get rid of NAFTA that kills Biden’s work. He kept his promise, “said Abigail Marone of the Trump campaign. “When Biden voted for NAFTA, he said that Americans’ concerns about losing their jobs were” greatly exaggerated, “but as with everything else in his life, he was wrong.” The Trump team has cited a study who found that NAFTA “displaced” 850,000 jobs in the United States.
“Thanks to President Trump’s bold leadership, the deal will mean greater economic growth, more jobs for American workers and fairer trade for our country,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. “President Trump has delivered American manufacturers, farmers, businesses, and workers.”
The trade deal is a rare bipartisan victory during what has been shaping up to be a difficult summer for Trump. The FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative general manager praised its implementation as a “cause for celebration.” The head of the Retail Industry Leaders Association said the USMCA “strengthens two of our most important business relationships and creates certainty for retailers to invest, plan for the future, create jobs and provide consumers with the widest possible selection of affordable and quality products. “
Critics have called the USMCA a smooth and protectionist revision of NAFTA. “For the first time in the history of the United States, we are enacting a trade agreement that restricts free trade and reduces economic growth.” protested Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania. “Unlike its predecessor NAFTA, the USMCA contains many protectionist provisions that are designed to reduce the exchange of goods between the United States and Mexico.” Toomey called it an “antitrade agreement” in late 2019. Wall street journal opinion piece, criticizing its rate increases.
However, the USMCA easily passed Senate 89-10, with Toomey as the only Republican to vote against and the only senator to oppose the deal on free trade grounds. Senator Bernie Sanders, with whom Trump has cited common ground on trade, also voted against it, as did three other Democrats who unsuccessfully sought the party’s presidential nomination. The House passed at the end of last year 385 to 41.
NAFTA was originally negotiated by George HW Bush, but Bill Clinton led the charge with his approval by Congress. While approved with bipartisan support, a left-to-right coalition emerged in opposition to the deal that included populists Ross Perot, which warned of a “giant sucking sound” of jobs that would leave the country if approved, and Pat Buchanan They are both considered Trump’s ideological forerunners.
Trump made NAFTA an important part of his case against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, calling it the worst trade deal ever negotiated. He also opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership and promised tariffs on China until Beijing opened its markets to more American products. Trade negotiations with China have not been finalized.
These populist economic nationalist positions were a departure from the recent Republican trade orthodoxy that helped him break through the Rust Belt, winning states that had not voted Republican at the presidential level since Ronald Reagan was in the White House.
The Trump campaign expects a repeat against Biden. To coincide with the effective date of the USMCA, “Killing Jobs – the Biden Record on Trade” debuted. The document highlights Biden’s support for expanded trade with China, as well as NAFTA. Trump’s rapid response team sent a clip of the former vice president saying he was not an “expert on international trade issues,” adding that “Biden’s record of supporting terrible trade policy is extensive.” The Republican National Committee released a new digital ad promoting Trump and the USMCA, which the administration says could create 176,000 to 600,000 new jobs.
When Trump held the USMCA, he also pointed to figures that show the economy added 4.8 million jobs in June. Most polls continue to show that pluralities prefer Trump, a longtime businessman, to deal with the economy, even when he lags behind Biden domestically and in key battlefield states.
