Trump Calls For Renegotiation Of NAFTA

Donald Trump followed in the footsteps of the United Kingdom’s recent vote to part ways with the European Union by urging the U.S. to consider pulling out of NAFTA and other existing trade deals.

“It’s time to declare our economic independence once again,” the presumptive Republican nominee said in a trade speech at Alumisource, a company in Monessen, Pennsylvania, according to Bloomberg Politics. “That means voting for Donald Trump.”

Trump said that, as president, he would re-negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which he called “the worst trade deal in the history of the country,” and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which he said was “the greatest danger yet.”

“I’m going tell our NAFTA partners that I intend to immediately renegotiate the terms of that agreement to get a better deal for our workers,” he said of the trade deal frequently criticized by progressive Democrats like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. “And I don’t mean just a little bit better, I mean a lot better. If they do not agree to a renegotiation, then I will submit notice under Article 2205 of the NAFTA agreement that America intends to withdraw from the deal.”

Trump also said that he would “withdraw the United States” from the TPP, as it is not yet ratified.

“The TPP creates a new international commission that makes decisions the American people can’t veto,” the billionaire businessman explained. “These commissions are great for Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street funders who can spend vast amounts of money to influence the outcomes.”

Trump’s words echo those in the U.K. who supported the June 23 “Brexit” referendum vote to leave the European Union, a process which will likely begin in as early as two years, reports the BBC. Experts have predicted significant worldwide economic problems as a result of the “Brexit,” though the country may still decide to remain in the EU economic market, which may mitigate potential negative economic side effects.

“Our friends in Britain recently voted to take back control of their economy, politics and borders,” Trump said, according to Bloomberg. “Now it’s time for the American people to take back their future. We are going to take it back.”

Sources: Bloomberg, BBC / Photo Credit: Michael Vadon/Flickr