Steven Mnuchin admits the Trump administration is considering rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Steven Mnuchin.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

President Trump once called the Trans-Pacific Partnership "a rape of our country," but his Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, claimed Tuesday that he has had "very high-level discussions" about rejoining the sweeping free-trade agreement, Inside Trade reports. "I think the president is looking out for the interests of U.S. companies and is willing to negotiate multilaterals or consider going back into TPP," Mnuchin said, speaking at the Chamber of Commerce's "Invest in America" summit. "That’s on the table."

The United States was originally the 12th signatory to the TPP in 2016, but Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement immediately after taking office. The 11 remaining countries, including Canada and Japan, later agreed to go ahead with the pact anyway.

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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.