President Trump said Sunday he will meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, a move that would fulfill one of Trump’s most oft-stated campaign promises.
“We’re also meeting with the prime minister of Canada, and we will be meeting with the president of Mexico, who I know, and we’re going to start negotiations having to do with NAFTA” Trump said during a swearing-in ceremony for members of his senior staff.
“Anybody ever hear of NAFTA?” he joked. “I ran a campaign somewhat based on NAFTA.”
Trump said he would also begin a discussion about immigration and border security.
“But we’re going to start renegotiating on NAFTA, on immigration, and on security at the border,” he said. “And Mexico has been terrific, actually terrific. And the president has been really very amazing, and I think we’re going to have a very good result for Mexico for the United States, and for everybody involved.”
Trump frequently derided NAFTA as one of the “stupid deals” that have cost Americans their jobs in recent years. His pledge to renegotiate the trade agreement so that it more clearly benefitted the U.S. economy stood as one of the hallmarks of his campaign, which focused on trade deals more broadly.
Trump also vowed to withdraw the U.S. from negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, of which he was highly critical.
The meetings with Trudeau and Pena Nieto will be among Trump’s first with foreign leaders since taking office. Trump’s first meeting with a foreign head of state will occur on Friday when he meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
