Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton on Wednesday came out against a 12-nation trade deal that her former boss, President Obama, announced this week.
In an interview with the PBS Newshour Wednesday, Clinton told host Judy Woodruff that at the moment, she is “not in favor” of the deal as currently constructed. The former secretary of state, who dragged her feet for a while on the issue, also told the host that it doesn’t meet the “high bar” she set for any such agreement.
“As of today, I am not in favor of what I have learned about it,” Clinton said. “I don’t believe it’s going to meet the high bar I have set.”
Clinton’s stance also puts her on the same side as two of her White House rivals — namely Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has been an outspoken opponent of any potential deal, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who expressed surprise at her sudden announcement given that she worked with Obama on the issue while at State.
“Wow! That’s a reversal!” O’Malley said in a statement. “Secretary Clinton can justify her own reversal of opinion on this, but I didn’t have one opinion eight months ago and switch that opinion on the eve of debates.”
The U.S. announced Monday, along with Japan and 11 other nations, a deal that cuts trade barriers and sets labor and environmental standards. But very few details are actually known about the agreement at this point.
The deal will face a fight in the Congress, as the administration has already started to whip support for the deal among members.
Clinton had previously refused to take a stance on the issue, even though she had pushed and talked up the measure many times during her tenure in the State Department.
The announcement from Clinton is one of her biggest breaks with the Obama administration, and piggybacks off of her hit against the administration’s policy on deportations, which she outlined Monday in an interview with Telemundo.
