Trump exposes fragile free trade consensus among Republicans

Published May 13, 2017 4:01am ET



When Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., came out against Robert Lighthizer’s nomination for U.S. trade representative, it was billed as a Republican rebellion against President Trump on trade.

“Beyond your vocal advocacy for protectionist shifts in our trade policies, the administration’s ongoing, incoherent, and inconsistent trade message has compounded our concern,” the two senators wrote in a letter.

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