Donald Trump considers major TPP backflip
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has asked trade officials to explore the possibility of the United States rejoining negotiations on the Pacific Rim agreement after he pulled out last year as part of his “America first” agenda.
Farm-state politicians said after a White House meeting with Mr Trump that he had given that assignment to his trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, and his new chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership would open more overseas markets for American farmers.
“I’m sure there are lots of particulars that they’d want to negotiate, but the president multiple times reaffirmed in general to all of us and looked right at Larry Kudlow and said, ‘Larry, go get it done,”’ said Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska.
Eleven countries, including Australia, signed the agreement last month.
Mr Trump’s rejection of the deal has rattled allies and raised questions at home about whether protectionism will impede US economic growth.
He has used some very strong language in dismissing US involvement in the TPP, at one point calling it a “continuing rape of our country.
“The Trans-Pacific Partnership is another disaster done and pushed by special interests who want to rape our country, just a continuing rape of our country,” Mr Trump said. “That’s what it is, too. It’s a harsh word: It’s a rape of our country.”
Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, said he was “very impressed” that Mr Trump had assigned Mr Kudlow and Mr Lighthizer “the task to see if we couldn’t take another look at TPP. And that certainly would be good news all throughout farm country.”
The discussions came during a meeting in which Mr Trump told farm-state governors and politicians that he was pressing China to treat the American agriculture industry fairly.
Midwest farmers fear becoming caught up in a trade war as Beijing threatens to impose tariffs on soybeans and other US crops, a big blow to Middle Western farmers, many of whom are strong Trump supporters.
