President Trump on Thursday said he decided on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement rather than causing a “shock to the system” by pulling the United States out of the deal.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Trump reiterated that he will make good on his promise to pull the U.S. out of NAFTA if there’s not a better deal to be had. But, for the time being, it’s safer to remain in the agreement, he said.
“I decided rather than terminating NAFTA, which would be a pretty big, you know, shock to the system, we will renegotiate,” Trump said.
“Now, if I’m unable to make a fair deal, if I’m unable to make a fair deal for the United States, meaning a fair deal for our workers and our companies, I will terminate NAFTA. But we’re going to give renegotiation a good, strong shot,” he said.
Trump spoke with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday and released a statement late Wednesday night announcing his intention to renegotiate the deal.
Trump has railed against NAFTA as “the single worst trade deal” and “the worst trade deal in the history of the world” during the campaign.
