MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Mexican presidential election on Sunday [7-1-18] removes a hurdle to the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, raising the likelihood that the 24-year-old treaty once again will become a focal point in President Donald Trump’s effort to rewrite the rules of global trade. Efforts to overhaul the pact had floundered in recent weeks, amid missed deadlines and concern among many observers and participants that Mexico’s shift to a leftist-nationalist government could complicate negotiations. In fact, the election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador may instead pave the way for at least some progress on the negotiations, according to trade negotiators and other observers. While U.S. businesses have concerns about Mr. López Obrador, the Trump administration’s approach to Nafta appears to dovetail with at least some of Mr. López Obrador’s economic priorities.”
-William Mauldin and Santiago Pérez, “Mexican Election Could Accelerate Nafta Talks,” The Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2018 5:30 am