President Trump has repeatedly told top White House officials he wants to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization, a move that would throw global trade into wild disarray, people involved revealed Thursday.
During the campaign, Trump told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press,” in July 2016: “World Trade Organization is a disaster.”
Some aides have tried to explain to Trump that in their view, the U.S. does well at the WTO, given the U.S. has an army of trade lawyers and created the system.
“He’s [threatened to withdraw] 100 times. It would totally [screw] us as a country,” said a source who’s discussed the subject with Trump. The source added that Trump has frequently told advisers, “We always get fucked by them [the WTO]. I don’t know why we’re in it. The WTO is designed by the rest of the world to screw the United States.”
World Trade Organization spokesman Keith Rockwell said that the organization was unaware of President Trump’s desire to withdraw the U.S. from the WTO.
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