Trump Raises NAFTA Termination Again
President Donald Trump on Aug. 30 again said the U.S. will “terminate” NAFTA if it can’t renegotiate it, according to a White House transcript of his tax reform speech in Springfield, Missouri. "Hopefully we can renegotiate it," he said. "But…
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if we can't, we'll terminate it and we'll start all over again with a real deal." Trump repeatedly mentioned a potential withdrawal from NAFTA in recent weeks (see 1708280025 and 1708230036). Asked during a visit to Washington this week whether Mexico would continue renegotiating in the case that Trump -- as a negotiation tactic -- triggered NAFTA’s six-month process for U.S. withdrawal, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso said, “No,” according to an Aug. 30 Reuters article. During his visit to Washington, Videgaray agreed with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to “continue with a ‘serious’ renegotiation process,” Reuters reported him as saying. Trump also called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Aug. 31, and both "stressed their hope" to conclude negotiations by the end of 2017, the White House said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Commerce Department didn’t comment. The second round of NAFTA renegotiations will take place in Mexico City Sept. 1-5.