Trump hints he might reconsider tariffs if new NAFTA agreement is reached

Trump could finalize his tariffs later this week.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump appeared to suggest Monday morning that Mexico and Canada could be exempt from his steel and aluminum tariffs if a "new & fair NAFTA agreement is signed."

The tweets came before a meeting between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, Reuters reports. "Canada must treat our farmers much better," Trump tweeted, adding that Mexico "must do much more on stopping drugs from pouring into the U.S."

The president has previously called the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement the "single worst trade deal ever approved in this country." Talking Points Memo notes that "it's not clear whether a new NAFTA agreement would prompt Trump to nix tariffs on Mexico and Canada, or on all foreign countries."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

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.