The White House on Monday rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should leave the World Trade Organization because it is weak when it comes to standing up for the rights of U.S. workers and industries.
Trump in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” said he would punish companies that moved operations to Mexico by slapping steep tariffs on their goods. When Todd suggested that the WTO likely would reject such high import taxes, Trump labeled the organization a “disaster” for U.S. businesses and workers and said his administration would renegotiate better trading terms or pull out altogether.
Presidential press secretary Josh Earnest sharply contested Trump’s characterization of the international trade dispute body and said withdrawing from the WTO would have “starkly negative” consequences for the U.S. economy and American workers.
Calling the WTO a “very effective venue” for enforcing U.S. trade disputes with other countries like China, Earnest said the Obama administration has brought 22 WTO complaints during Obama’s time in office, 13 of them against China.
Of those that have been decided, the U.S. has won all of them, he said.
“So that’s an indication that, actually, the WTO does end up being a very effective venue for enforcing the rights of U.S. workers and U.S. companies in a way that has positive consequences for the U.S. economy,” Earnest said.
Earlier this month, the Obama administration launched its 13th case against China for export duties on raw materials that Earnest said are “critical inputs for many industrial products.”
“I’ll let other candidates make their own case,” he added. “But I think what has been proven under President Obama’s leadership is that U.S. involvement in the WTO contributes significantly to the overall health of our economy and to our ability to enforce the trade rights of the American people.”
