Trump Mulls At Ending His Signature Trade Deal

dailycaller.com

President Donald Trump says he is “not looking to renew” the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade pact he championed in his first term.

USMCA, enforced on July 1, 2020, was introduced as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The purpose of the agreement was to create “more balanced, reciprocal trade supporting high-paying jobs for Americans and grow the North American economy,” according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

The agreement requires the three nations to decide by July 1, 2026, whether to extend the pact for an additional 16 years. If any party declines the 16 year renewal, it triggers mandatory annual reviews to resolve disputes before the agreement formally ends in 2036.

Both Canada and Mexico have called to renew the agreement, but the United States may not be on board, according to the BBC.

Trump stated today that he did not see any need to renew the agreement.

“We don’t need anything Canada has, we don’t need anything that Mexico has, but they need everything that we have, and they have to treat us better,” he told reporters.

This statement came a day after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer addressed the agreement on Fox Business’ “Mornings With Maria.”

 “You have the USMCA underlying the relationship right now, we’ve seen a lot of flaws in that, we’ve seen our deficit go up with both countries over the years that USMCA has been in place,” Greer said in the interview. “We’re trying to fix the flaws in that program.” (RELATED: Canadians Rank USA Greater Threat Than China, Russia And Iran Combined)

Greer told Fox Business that the United States is actively engaging in formal, ongoing negotiations with Mexico. A primary focus of these negotiations is to ensure that the “rules of origin” are being enforced.

“We’re trying to change the rules, we call them rules of origin, to make sure people aren’t using Mexico as a third country hub,” he said. “We would expect the same for Canada when we’re able to get to some kind of arrangement with them.”

Greer also cited that disagreements with Canada have made negotiations difficult.

Greer pointed to the “retaliatory tariffs” that Canada has placed on America.

Canada imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on products imported from the U.S. in March 2025, citing Trump’s tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel products. While Canada did remove some tariffs later that year, the tariffs on steel, aluminum and certain automotive parts continue to remain in effect, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

The Daily Caller reached out to the Office of the United States Trade Representative regarding the Fox Business interview and was directed to Trump’s Wednesday press conference.

The trade friction between the U.S. and Canada could go deeper, according to Canadian media.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s plans to host Ontario Premiere Doug Ford Monday were cancelled, according to the Toronto Sun. The official reason for the cancelation was a scheduling conflict, but the outlet alleged that “the real reason is the Chamber’s desire not to anger Trump.”

Multiple sources told the outlet that scheduling was not the real issue.

Despite this cancelation, Ford reportedly met with other members of the U.S. government, including Republican North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer.