Trump has reportedly threatened to withdraw from the World Trade Organization '100 times'

Could Trump withdraw from the WTO?
(Image credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump is threatening to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization — a move that would cast uncertainty over trillions of dollars worth of trade — during private conversations with his aides, Axios reports. "He's [threatened to withdraw] 100 times," said one person who's had such a conversation with the president. "It would totally [screw] us as a country."

Trump reportedly perceives the WTO as taking advantage of the United States, although his own administration's research has found that America has won more than 85 percent of its cases before the WTO since 1995 (China has won just over 66 percent, by comparison). Trump's advisers have reportedly warned him against withdrawal, noting that it would send global markets into turmoil.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.