President Trump threatened Thursday to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization if it doesn’t improve its treatment of the U.S.
“If they don’t shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO,” Trump told Bloomberg News in an interview.
The president’s warning to the intergovernmental organization is his latest criticism of the body. Trump told reporters at the White House last month the WTO has treated the U.S. “very badly for many, many years” and said the country is at a “big disadvantage.”
“I hope they change their ways,” the president said.
White House advisers have also raised concerns about the World Trade Organization’s membership.
In an interview with Fox Business this month, Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, suggested the U.S. and other members of the World Trade Organization kick China out of the body.
Hassett criticized China for not abiding by intellectual property rights rules and said China “really needs to make up its mind.”
