Trump: ‘Mexico is not happy’

by Rafael Bernal - 08/30/17 3:31 PM ET

President Trump Wednesday said that “Mexico is not happy” with his administration’s approach to renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In a speech on tax policy in Missouri, Trump took aim at trade deals and singled out NAFTA for criticism.

“We’re working right now on NAFTA. The horrible, terrible NAFTA deal that took so much business out of your state and out of your cities and towns. And we’re working on it, let’s see what happens,” said Trump.

{mosads}Two top Mexican government officials, Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray and Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo, are in Washington discussing NAFTA with top administration officials.

Videgaray and Guajardo met with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, White House adviser Jared Kushner and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer early Wednesday, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the afternoon.

Their visit comes on the heels of tweets by Trump over the weekend, where he repeated his claim that NAFTA is “the worst trade deal ever made” and said Mexico and Canada were “being very difficult” in renegotiations.

We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

Mexico responded through a press release, saying, “Mexico’s position at the renegotiation table of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will continue to be serious and constructive, always putting our national interests first, and seeking a beneficial result whereby the three North American countries win.”

Upon leaving the White House on Wednesday, Guajardo was approached by reporters but declined to comment on the meetings.

Trump is scheduled to meet privately with Lighthizer to discuss progress of the NAFTA negotiations.

“Mexico is not happy. But as I told them, ‘you made a lot of money for a lot of years and everybody left you alone.’ We gotta change this deal,” Trump said. “And hopefully we can renegotiate it, and if we can’t we’ll terminate it and we’ll start all over again with a real deal.”

Negotiators for the United States, Mexico and Canada will convene Sept. 1-5 in Mexico City for the second round of NAFTA negotiations.

Tags Rex Tillerson Robert Lighthizer Wilbur Ross