Trump threatens to withdraw from WTO, claims Mueller investigation is 'illegal,' in Bloomberg interview

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 31 August 2018

In a wide-ranging Oval Office interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday, President Trump said he would likely keep Attorney General Jeff Sessions in his job until after the November midterms but wouldn't say how he would respond to a subpoena from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, arguing it's "an illegal investigation" because "great scholars" have said that "there never should have been a special counsel." He claimed that "all of the good legal pundits" on TV say he committed "no campaign violation whatsoever" by paying off two women who said they had affairs with him, though he wouldn't say when he knew about the payments "because it's been covered so much."

"Many people think it is a very antitrust situation" with Google, Facebook, and Amazon, Trump said, and when it comes to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and nukes, "I have greater patience than any human being in the world." Notably, Trump confirmed that he wants to withdraw the U.S. from the World Trade Organization, calling it "the single worst trade deal ever made" and saying "if they don't shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO."

Trump would need approval from Congress to withdraw from the WTO, and a draft bill he had ordered, published by Axios in July, was seen getting zero support from lawmakers. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin previously called reports that Trump wanted to withdraw from the WTO "an exaggeration" and "fake news." The Trump administration has found other ways to undermine the organization, though, including blocking the appointment of judges to the WTO appeals body, Bloomberg says. If Trump can't unilaterally pull out of the WTO, though, he can single-handedly cut capital gains taxes, and he told Bloomberg he's "thinking about it very strongly."

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As Bloomberg's analysts note, that would help his very wealthy investor and corporate base, but not do much for his broader MAGA crowd.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.