On Tuesday, Donald Trump gave a scripted speech, with teleprompter, in front of a wall of garbage in Pennsylvania, then a more extemporaneous one in St. Clairesville, Ohio. The tone was different, but the message was the same: Free trade deals are bad. "The Trans-Pacific Partnership is another disaster, done and pushed by special interests who want to rape our country — just a continuing rape of our country," Trump said. "That's what it is, too — it's a harsh word. It's a rape of our country. This is done by wealthy people that want to take advantage of us and that want to sign another partnership."
This is not the first time Trump has bashed trade deals, nor is it the first time he has equated free trade with rape. And while Trump is clearly aiming to win over Rust Belt communities in the Midwest, his language is at odds with decades of Republican Party advocacy of unfettered free trade, and he faced immediate criticism from Republican business leaders and business groups typically aligned with the GOP. "Under Trump's trade plans, we would see higher prices, fewer jobs, and a weaker economy," tweeted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, adding in another tweet: "Even under best case scenario, Trump's tariffs would strip us of at least 3.5 million jobs."
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