Trump blasts trade talks with Canada: We shouldn't have to buy our friends

Trump blasts trade talks with Canada: We shouldn't have to buy our friends





Provided by The Hill
President Trump appeared to slam trade talks with Canada in a tweet late Saturday evening, writing that the U.S. "shouldn't have to buy our friends" with "bad trade deals and free military protection."

"We shouldn't have to buy our friends with bad Trade Deals and Free Military Protection!" Trump tweeted.

The tweet came after a series of tweets in which Trump cited a Breitbart News article titled, "No Deal! Trade Talks with Canada Conclude for the Week with No Agreement" alongside a link to the story, and a second all-caps tweet in which the president wrote his campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."

The tweets came hours after the president slammed trade talks with Canada amid tense trade negotiations with the longtime U.S. ally. Both countries failed on Friday to meet a deadline to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Trump, earlier Saturday, characterized NAFTA as "one of the WORST Trade Deals ever made" and cautioned that if Canada could reach an agreement with U.S. trade negotiators, the country would be left out of a possible trade pact.

The president has frequently suggested Canada is taking advantage of what he calls weak trade deals passed by previous administrations. Trump notified Congress earlier this week of his intention to enter into a trade agreement with Mexico and possibly Canada after weeks of negotiations.

However, Trump has said he will moving forward on a deal with Mexico, regardless of whether Canada cooperates.

"There is no political necessity to keep Canada in the new NAFTA deal. If we don't make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out. Congress should not interfere w/ these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely & we will be far better off..." he tweeted Saturday.

Trump has repeatedly attacked the trade deal, which was implemented in 1994, and has blamed it for the loss of millions of jobs.

"....Remember, NAFTA was one of the WORST Trade Deals ever made. The U.S. lost thousands of businesses and millions of jobs. We were far better off before NAFTA - should never have been signed. Even the Vat Tax was not accounted for. We make new deal or go back to pre-NAFTA!" he tweeted earlier Saturday.

The Trump administration's trade decisions have infuriated a number of U.S. allies this year. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders have issued harsh condemnations of the president's economic policy.

Trump's tweets came after spending the day at his golf club in Northern Virginia as various lawmakers and public figures attended a funeral service in Washington honoring the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Trump was not invited to the service.



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