Washington (EFE) — President Donald Trump raised the prospect Wednesday of walking away from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), saying the U.S. has no need for what its North American trading partners offer — and questioning whether the landmark trade pact is worth renewing.
“I don’t know if I’m going to renew it because, to be honest, the United States is doing much better,” Trump said from the Oval Office during the signing of legislation to fund immigration services for the next three years.
When asked about the state of renewal negotiations — which are unfolding against the backdrop of his ongoing tariff disputes with both neighbors — Trump doubled down: “We don’t need anything Canada has, we don’t need anything Mexico has, but they need everything we have, and they have to treat us better… We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their lumber, we don’t need their energy — we don’t need anything they have.”
What’s at Stake
The USMCA replaced NAFTA and took effect in 2020, with a built-in joint review mechanism six years after launch. If all three countries agree to renew before July 1, the agreement automatically extends for another 16 years — an outcome Canada and Mexico have already publicly requested. If no agreement is reached, the treaty enters a decade of annual reviews before a potential expiration.
Trump framed his skepticism partly as a long-running grievance against NAFTA, which he called “the worst trade deal ever signed by a wide margin” because it lacked a termination clause. He even complained it had “typos.”
Talks Are Moving — Unevenly
Despite the rhetoric, formal negotiations are underway. The Trump administration has launched talks with Mexico to revise the trilateral agreement. Conversations with Canada have not formally begun, though Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said last week he had a productive meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Washington has signaled for the past 18 months that it is not interested in a simple automatic renewal and is seeking significant modifications, particularly around automotive sector rules and access to Canada’s dairy market.
