Trade deal divides GOP candidates on stage

A couple of Republican presidential candidates on Tuesday night renewed their support for a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush each offered support for the pact negotiated by the Obama administration during the Fox Business Network debate in Milwaukee, while businessman Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said they would oppose the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

{mosads}“The trade agreement, the TPP, it’s critical to us, not only for economic reasons and for jobs, because there’s so many people connected to getting jobs because of trade, but it allows us to create not only economic alliances but also potentially strategic alliances against the Chinese,” Kasich said.

“They’re not our enemy, but they’re certainly not our friend,” he said.

Bush took a jab at Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for opposing the TPP and the Keystone XL pipeline, saying “all the things that would create sustained economic growth, she’s now doubling down against it.”

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have announced their support for the expansive TPP deal.

Trump called the TPP “a horrible deal” and said Congress shouldn’t approve it.

“It is a deal that is going to lead to nothing but trouble,” Trump said.

“It was a deal designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reminded the panel and the candidates that China isn’t part of the agreement.

Trump said he would rather not have the TPP at all and would prefer to “make individual deals with individual countries.”

He said that if the TPP is approved, it will create more job losses, a rallying cry for Democrats opposed to the TPP.

Trump also argued that currency manipulation isn’t discussed in the agreement.

But there is a side agreement between the participating nations that require reporting, monitoring and consulting on exchange rates.