How U.S. Trade Policy Has Changed Under President Donald Trump – Perceptions From Canada

Abstract

The new “U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement” (USMCA) signed on 1 October 2018 sets out important markers concerning the future direction of Trump Administration trade policy. As consideration turns to the path to success in implementing this agreement, I will focus in my remarks today on what “success” might look like. In particular, I will discuss (1) the extent to which the USMCA can be seen as a model for a future trade regime; (2) the interaction between the USMCA model and the US Section 232 national security policy; and (3) the implications of the USMCA model for its allies in terms of the impact on the relationship going forward between the North American economies, the European Union and the global economy more generally.