1/17/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE: "Even by his standards, President-elect Donald Trump's statements on trade have been stunning in their recklessness. His proposals essentially amount to the repudiation of a system that has fostered global stability and lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty over the last several decades — and if he actually intends to execute his radical agenda, there's little to stop him.
In other areas of economic policy, such as budget matters, Congress will make the crucial choices. On trade, the White House has wide discretion. The stakes could hardly be higher.
During the campaign Trump threatened to rip up existing trade pacts, withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, and put punitive tariffs on imports from Mexico and China. He's called the World Trade Organization, which promotes liberal trade and adjudicates disputes, 'a disaster,' and he has said the U.S. might 'pull out.' Congratulating Britain on its decision to quit the European Union, he says the U.K. and the U.S. can design a new trade deal — but that it makes no difference to the U.S. whether the EU, 'a vehicle for Germany,' stays together or falls apart. "

 – “Pharma’s Worst Nightmare,” Bloomberg Magazine, Jan. 17, 2017, Editorial Board, 1/17/2017

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