President Donald Trump said the U.S. would do better as a country without the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on Wednesday.
The comments come as the U.S. faces a critical deadline to determine the future of the trade pact, potentially altering economic relations with its nearest neighbors.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, France, Trump said the U.S. would do better without the agreement [1]. He said that he would "rather not have the agreement" [2].
Trump said he is not a "big fan" of the USMCA [3]. He said the pact is not beneficial and that the U.S. would be better off without the deal in place [1, 3].
The timing of these remarks coincides with a looming regulatory window. The U.S. must approve the renewal of the USMCA by July 1, 2026 [4]. If the administration chooses not to renew, it must announce an intention to exit, a process that would take 10 years [4].
Trump's criticism of the deal marks a shift in the narrative surrounding the agreement he previously supported. By suggesting the U.S. would be a better country without it, the president has signaled a potential pivot in North American trade strategy, one that could lead to a prolonged exit process.
“"The United States would do better without the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement."”
This development suggests a potential shift in U.S. trade policy toward more aggressive unilateralism or a complete renegotiation of North American ties. Because the exit process for the USMCA is slated to take 10 years, a decision to leave would create a decade of economic uncertainty for manufacturers and farmers relying on duty-free access to Canadian and Mexican markets.
