Trump says he would ‘rather not’ have USMCA

Kelly Geraldine Malone Washington The Canadian Press Published YesterdayUpdated 47 minutes ago Open this photo in gallery: U. President Donald Trump talks to the media after disembarking Air Force One at Paris Orly Airport, Wednesday. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/The Associated Press Save for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story. Log InCreate Free Account U. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would rather not have the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in place and offered a confusing message on the trade pact’s future. “We do better without that agreement,” Trump told reporters in France, where he was attending the G7 summit. USMCA, the continental trade agreement known in Canada as CUSMA, is up for mandatory review but comments from the Trump administration indicate the U. S. expects to blow past a July 1 deadline. That would trigger an annual rolling review for up to a decade, at which point USMCA would expire if it’s not renewed. Canada and Mexico have both called for a 16-year extension to the agreement. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the U. S. would do better without the USMCA on trade ‌and that he would prefer not to have a new one, but added that he was open to doing it. Reuters USMCA was negotiated during the first Trump administration to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. At the time, Trump called it the best trade agreement ever. He has since described USMCA as “irrelevant” and has said it may have served its purpose. Trump said Wednesday he liked USMCA because it got the United States out of NAFTA. He said he would rather “leave it unsigned” or “have it terminated.” When asked to clarify those statements, Trump said, “I would rather not have the agreement but I may sign it.” When pushed further on whether he intends to pull the U. S. out of USMCA or leave it to be reviewed annually, Trump said he would prefer no agreement but he’s open to keeping it, adding, “I view it as possibly expiring immediately.” USMCA stays in place unless one of the countries gives six months’ notice that it is pulling out. Canada and Mexico both have indicated they want to keep the trilateral deal in place. Given how integrated many industries are in North America, most experts do not think the United States would be quick to leave the agreement. Christopher Sands, director of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Canadian Studies, said the July 1 date is a milestone, not a deadline.