Sunday Political Talk Show interviews during 2015: on Free Trade

Chris Christie: Supports free trade, but distrusts Obama's TPP agreement

CHRISTIE: I don't trust this president to negotiate any deal. And that's what my answer was, to say I don't trust this president negotiating a deal. I wouldn't let this president buy me a car, that's how bad a negotiator he is. So, I will not support TPP as negotiated by this president, because I'm convinced it will be just as bad as the Iranian nuclear deal.

Bernie Sanders: I strongly opposed NAFTA and DOMA from their inception

Donald Trump: Restrict free trade to keep jobs in US

TRUMP: I am all for free trade, but it's got to be fair. When Ford moves their massive plants to Mexico, we get nothing. I want them to stay in Michigan.

Q: But the American Enterprise Institute says, your Trump Collection clothing line, some of it is made in Mexico and China.

TRUMP: That's true. I want it to be made here.

Q: The point is you're doing just what Ford is--you're taking advantage of a global trading market.

TRUMP: I never dispute that. I just ordered 4,000 television sets from South Korea. I don't want to order them from South Korea. I don't think anybody makes television sets in the United States anymore. I talk about it all the time. We don't make anything anymore. Now you look at Boeing. Boeing's going over to China. They're going to build a massive plant because China's demanding it in order to order airplanes from Boeing.

Hillary Clinton: Trans Pacific trade deal doesn't meet my standards

Donald Trump: Disastrous deals because we don't have smart negotiators

A: I think NAFTA has been a disaster. I think our current deals are a disaster. I'm a free trader. The problem with free trade is, you need smart people representing you. We have the greatest negotiators in the world, but we don't use them. We use political hacks and diplomats. We use the wrong people. Mexico is smart; they have out-negotiated us to a fare-thee-well. They're going to be the capital of automobiles pretty soon, the way they're going.

Donald Trump: China and Japan are beating us; I can beat China

When did we beat Japan at anything? They send their cars over by the millions, and what do we do? When was the last time you saw a Chevrolet in Tokyo? It doesn't exist, folks. They beat us all the time.

When do we beat Mexico at the border? They're laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they're killing us economically. The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems.

Donald Trump: 35% import tax on Mexican border

And you say to yourself, "How does that help us? Where is that good"? It's not. So I would say, "Let me give you the bad news. Every car and every part manufactured in this plant that comes across the border, we're going to charge you a 35% tax, and that tax is going to be paid simultaneously with the transaction.

Now, if it's not me in the position, here's what's going to happen: They're going to get a call from the donors or from the lobbyist for Ford and say, "I take care of you, and you can't do that to Ford."

I'm using my own money. I'm not using the lobbyists. I'm not using donors. I don't care.

Donald Trump: Stupid people negotiate our trade bills, & trade won't work

Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people, but we have people that are stupid. We have people that are controlled by special interests. And it's just not going to work

Bernie Sanders: Base trade policy on working families, not multinationals

SANDERS: I have been hearing that argument for the last 25 years. I heard it about NAFTA. I heard it about CAFTA. I heard it about permanent normal trade relations with China. Here is the fact. Since 2001, we have lost almost 60,000 factories and millions of good-paying jobs. I'm not saying trade is the only reason, but it is a significant reason why Americans are working longer hours for low wages and why we are seeing our jobs go to China and other low-wage countries. And, finally, what you're seeing in Congress are Democrats and some Republicans beginning to stand up and say, maybe we should have a trade policy which represents the working families of this country, that rebuilds our manufacturing base, not than just representing the CEOs of large multinational corporations.

Lindsey Graham: Make currency manipulation a key issue in trade negotiations

An amendment opponent, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) called it "far too risky" because it would derail prospects for signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Asian countries, subject US monetary policies to the threat of sanctions from overseas, and discourage currency exchange rate transparency by countries that export goods to the U.S. The vote, on May 22, was 48 yeas to 51 nays.

NAYS: Sen. Tim Scott R-SC

YEAS: Sen. Lindsey Graham R-SC

Rick Perry: Ex-Im Bank is corrupt; closing it helps our competitiveness

RP: Well, I think we need to be competitive. And I think we need to have a conversation about how we are more competitive by number one, changing our tax policy and changing our regulatory policy so that our companies can be more competitive. But here's what changed me. And I don't think anybody can stand up and defend the Ex-Im Bank after the corruption and fraud became.....

HH: But reform it. Don't end it, reform it.

RP: Well, and you know what? My deal is that sometimes, you've got to threaten people pretty deeply to get their attention, and doing away with them is a very powerful threat.

Hillary Clinton: TPP must produce jobs, raise wages, & protect security

Martin O`Malley: Opposing bad trade deals like TPP is just common sense

O'Malley, an opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal that Obama wants to sign with 11 Asian countries, has needled Clinton on her pivoting position on free trade deals.

"Hard choice?" he told supporters in an email, riffing on the title of Clint

Bernie Sanders: Wrong, wrong, wrong that trade deals create jobs here

SANDERS: In the House and Senate, I voted against all of these terrible trade agreements, NAFTA, CAFTA, permanent normal trades relations with China. Republicans and Democrats, they say, "oh, we'll create all these jobs by having a trade agreement with China." Well, the answer is, they were wrong, wrong, wrong. Over the years, we have lost millions of decent paying jobs. These trade agreements have forced wages down in America so the average worker in America today is working longer hours for lower wages.

Q: So, is that a litmus test for you, to see whether or not Clinton is going to come out against the TPP?

SANDERS: I hope very much the secretary comes out against it. I think we do not need to send more jobs to low wage countries. I think corporate America has to start investing in this country and create decent paying jobs here.