The White House indicated Monday that President Trump would leave in place punitive tariffs against imports from U.S. trading partners for as long as it takes for those countries to agree to new trade rules that are fair to U.S. companies.
“The president is focused not on the short term, but on the long term, and he wants to make sure that we’re doing things that help protect American workers, and protect American industry,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters. “He is going to keep pushing to make sure that we have good trade deals.”
“We’re not setting a timetable, and there are a lot of different negotiations going on,” she said when asked if the longer term time frame meant weeks or months or years. “We’ve made progress on a number of fronts, and the president, again, is committed to making sure we have good deals.”
She said Trump would be “happy” to remove all barriers as soon as other countries are ready to agree to rules changes.
Trump has been pressing for changes that help promote investment inside the U.S., and has targeted the North American Free Trade Agreement as an agreement that needs changing. Among other things, NAFTA allowed U.S. companies to set up shop in Mexico and send goods back to the U.S. without facing high tariffs, and for that reason is seen as an investment agreement as much as it’s seen as a trade agreement.
Trump has also hinted the U.S. could pull out of the World Trade Organization, but Sanders said it’s “not accurate” to say the U.S. is leaving, although she admitted Trump is “frustrated” by that agreement.
