President Donald Trump further distanced himself from revisiting the possibility of rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, despite signaling interest in rejoining the agreement.
“While Japan and South Korea would like us to go back into TPP, I don’t like the deal for the United States,” he wrote on Twitter. “Too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn’t work.”
The president commented on the multilateral trade agreement after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has resisted Trump’s efforts to draw up a bilateral trade deal with Japan.
“Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers,” Trump wrote. “Look how bad WTO is to U.S.”
Trump signaled interest in rejoining TPP after speaking to congressional members of agricultural states at the White House. Sens. Pat Roberts and Ben Sasse expressed optimism that the president was serious about taking another look at the multilateral trade agreement.
But White House economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, told reporters on Tuesday that the president continued to be skeptical about TPP.
“It has to be in U.S. interest for us to take another look and actually go into it,” he said. “The president believes it is not presently in U.S. interest to sign it”:
While Japan and South Korea would like us to go back into TPP, I don’t like the deal for the United States. Too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn’t work. Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers. Look how bad WTO is to U.S.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2018
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