The US Congress has informed the republican US President Donald J. Trump that he cannot do a trade agreement with Mexico without including Canada in the deal. President Trump has been resorting to his bullying negotiation tactics by closing a tentative deal with Mexico first, thinking that he could then force concessions from Canada. But Canada did not fall for these Trumpian type maneuvers.
Then the US president leaked comments to a Bloomberg reporter along the lines that Canada can either accept US terms, or else. Well you can guess what happened to the state of negotiations under these brutal, callous terms.
As per a 8/27/18 Washington Post report, In an emailed statement, (Canadian Foreign Minister Chyrstia) Freeland’s spokesman said Monday that she welcomed the U.S.-Mexico agreement, but added that Canada would “only sign a new NAFTA that is good for Canada and good for the middle class. Canada’s signature is required.”
“Canadian trade and automotive experts weren’t impressed by Trump’s threat against Canada’s automotive industry, which employs 125,000 workers and accounts for $19 billion Canadian ($13.1 billion U.S.) of Canada’s gross domestic product.”
“It’s a cold, hard bluff,” said Gordon Ritchie, who was one of Canada’s principal negotiators of the original Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in the 1980s. “It’s the kind of thing that might work in low-level real estate development, but I don’t think Freeland and Trudeau will be buffaloed by this.”
Frankly, if any deal gets done, it is because of President Trump’s number one trade negotiator, Mr. Robert Lighthizer. As per a 9/18/17 Bloomberg report, “He worked for decades as a trade lawyer, representing clients including U.S. Steel Corp. He served as a deputy USTR under Ronald Reagan, earning a reputation as a hard-nosed negotiator. He also has deep political experience from his time as a senior aide to former Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bob Dole.”
On August 31, 2018, Michelle Mark of Business Insider penned the following report, ‘At least Canada knows where I stand!’: Trump appears to confirm leaked remarks saying the US won’t make any compromises on NAFTA’
Excerpts:
- President Donald Trump on Friday responded to reports that he had privately said he wouldn’t compromise with Canada on the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
- He tweeted, “At least Canada knows where I stand!” and blamed Bloomberg reporters for leaking a private discussion, though a Bloomberg spokesperson said the company had respected the off-the-record agreement.
- NAFTA talks between US and Canadian officials remained ongoing Friday afternoon, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials will stay “constructive” and “positive.”
President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to confirm reports that he had privately said the US would not compromise at all with Canadian officials during negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“Wow, I made OFF THE RECORD COMMENTS to Bloomberg concerning Canada, and this powerful understanding was BLATANTLY VIOLATED. Oh well, just more dishonest reporting. I am used to it,” he tweeted. “At least Canada knows where I stand!”
“According to The Toronto Star, Trump told Bloomberg News reporters in an off-the-record discussion on Thursday that any NAFTA deal reached would be “totally on our terms.”
“Trump reportedly also suggested that Canadians would have “no choice” but to go along with the deal, because they would fear Trump might impose auto tariffs.”
“Off the record, Canada’s working their ass off. And every time we have a problem with a point, I just put up a picture of a Chevrolet Impala,” Trump said, according to The Star. The Chevrolet Impala is produced at a General Motors plant in Canada.”
“But according to the leaked remarks, Trump also appeared concerned that stating his views publicly would insult Canadian leaders, who have been trying to persuade US officials to make several key concessions on NAFTA provisions.”
“Here’s the problem,” Trump said, according to The Star. “If I say no — the answer’s no. If I say no, then you’re going to put that, and it’s going to be so insulting they’re not going to be able to make a deal … I can’t kill these people.”
“The Star said that the remarks were made to Bloomberg News reporters on condition they not be published and that it had obtained them from a source and published them because it was not bound by Bloomberg’s agreement with Trump.”
“Though Trump appeared to blame the leak on the Bloomberg reporters, a spokesperson for the news outlet told Business Insider, “When we agree that something is off the record, we respect that.”
“NAFTA talks between US and Canadian officials were ongoing Friday (8/31/18/) afternoon. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in from an event in Oshawa, Ontario, saying Canadians would continue negotiating and would remain “unequivocal” about standing up for Canadians’ interests.”
“Over the past year and a half, there’s a lot of things that have been said from time to time,” he said. “I think people have noticed our government’s approach is always to stay constructive, positive, to engage on the substance of issues.”
Gronda Morin 
trump likes “bi-lateteral” because he is a bully (as well as I think most people have now observed,also has no ability to negotiate successful deals)) and using threats, lies and changing terms after agreements are much easier to do. In “mulitilateral” situations as in trump terms, the other participants can “gang up” (trump the victim) on him, in other terms the other parties can make a “union” and increase the strength of their position.
Amusingly, this week trump told the EU he would agree to “no tariffs on either side” and yesterday when the EU said “OK” trump reneged with the “explanation” that in a free maket situation they would buy more European cars than American cars, i.e. trump does not want an agreement or trump does not want a “fair free market, ” he wants an agreement where he wins and the EU loses. Or if there is no agreement trump can keep tweetngi his vile messages, an outcome which I think he prefers.
With China its even more wierd, the trump “team” is a bunch of guys like Navarro, Kudlow, Ross who all have their ownm different agendas. He sends them in one at a time, the Chinese find a way to make a deal with one, then trump sends a different one who makes different demands, and so on and when the Chinese come up with something compatible with the “team” trump comes back with a demand to change the internal workings of the Chinese government which they are not going to do.
Its not that there are not real issues with the Chinese, I am familar with first hand experiences, however as we see with the NAFTA deal, its just basically a rebrand of the old agreement while making automobiles more expensive to Americans, less competitive in the global market AND some new GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS where marketing decisons will no longer be made by the auto manufacturor but by bureacrats in the trump administration or perhaps by buying a membership at Mar a Lago.
Where trump acts like a twelve year old bully, the other party acts like an adult, which is to make the the best of the situation at that moment, and when you leave go in search of a better trade partner, and so in the long term the US will increasingly lose trade partners..
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Dear Steve Naegele,
Your analysis is right on the money.
What President Trump is doing is directing his own reality show. He wants to look tough for his base of voters because they want to believe that he is fighting on behalf of them. Meanwhile he treats his neighbors and friends like dirt for show not for substance.
He is simply using the outline of the TPP agreement that he’s rejected on behalf of USA to update the current NAFTA trade agreement.
I wish there was a way that Canada, Mexico and Europe could make him look like the buffoon and phony that he is in front of his base where he could be shown up for what he is, the emperor bully with no clothes.
He can’t get away with his phony dog and show as easily with China, the real trade culprits, because its officials are truly in a position to return the favor. It wouldn’t hurt for someone to verbalize this for his TV reality show but the US lawmakers who could do this have been turned into eunuchs.
He deserves a bloody nose.
Hugs, Gronda
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Good comments and post. What global and other US leaders have learned is what could have been observed by his record is Trump’s word means little. His supporters will say he is doing what he said he would – not always, but much of what he said he would do was based on inaccurate diagnosis and fear.
The use of the word adult seems to be relevant as the other party seems to be the more adult like. I am reminded of his Trump stabbed Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin in the back after reaching a bipartisan immigration deal in the morning and being talked out of it by extremists in the Freedom Party by that afternoon. This was the day of his “s**thhole countries” comment. Keith
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Dear Keith,
You describe it well. The president just acted like he did when discussing a DACA deal with the democrats and then with the Senators Graham and Durbin which was just for show.
There is no way he was going to act in a way to turn-off the anti-immigration contingency of his voting base.
Hugs, Gronda
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Dear Ivankinsman,
The Trump reality show continues as President Trump does his best to grab the media headlines away from the passing of Senator McCain.
Thanks a million for all of your support and for this reblog.
Hugs, Gronda
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