National Public Radio: on Free Trade


Donald Trump: Fact-Check: Union support for USMCA was mixed

President Trump said, "The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers. This is the first major trade deal in many years to earn the strong backing of America's labor unions."

Fact -Check: Support for USMCA among labor unions was mixed. While the AFL-CIO backed the agreement, others did not. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the United Auto Workers all expressed disappointment over the deal.

Source: NPR Fact-Check on 2020 State of the Union address Feb 4, 2020

Donald Trump: Fact-Check:USMCA mostly a cosmetic refreshing of NAFTA

President Trump said, "One of the single biggest promises I made to the American people was to replace the disastrous NAFTA trade deal. I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law. The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers."

Fact -Check: The agreement updates NAFTA, covering things such as digital commerce, which barely existed when the original deal was signed a quarter-century ago. But despite the president's claims, USMCA is mostly a cosmetic refreshing of NAFTA, not a wholesale replacement. On the whole, the USMCA's economic effects are expected to be modest. The main benefit of the deal is that it avoids the disruption that would have come had Trump made good on his threat to scrap NAFTA with no replacement.

Source: NPR Fact-Check on 2020 State of the Union address Feb 4, 2020

Elizabeth Warren: We need to do trading deals differently & help workers

Q: Obama wanted to unite U.S. allies against China with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but you oppose TPP, right?

Warren: I think that was a trading deal that was not good for the American people and not good for the American worker. It was a trading deal that was written in order to help giant corporations. Over and over the United States has been negotiating one deal after another that helps giant multi-national corporations but does not help American workers, does not help Americans small businesses, does not help American farmers. We need to do our trading deals very differently.

Source: NPR Morning Edition, "Election 2020: Opening Arguments" Mar 15, 2019

Elizabeth Warren: We need allies to stand up to China on trade issues

[Trump] is right that we have a problem with China. What he hasn't seemed to figure out is what's the strategy to deal with it. If you wanted to push back, your first move would not be to pick a fight with Canada and other allies. We have a lot of trading partners who are good allies, and we should make sure that ... we are working with our allies. That's what makes us stronger internationally. Many of our allies are just as worried about China as we are. We need to be working with them.
Source: NPR Morning Edition: Election 2020 Special Series Mar 15, 2019

Joe Biden: Toughest choice: rationalizing competition & trade policy

Q: What do you think the toughest choice you have left to make is? What haven't you made up your mind on yet? And why haven't you?

A: I know exactly what I'd do in those foreign policy issues. But quite frankly, I think that the toughest choice for me, the thing I'm most unsure about, is how you rationalize competition and trade policy. I think that's the single most difficult challenge that I will have as president.

Source: 2007 Democratic radio debate on NPR Dec 4, 2007

Suzanne Crouch: Led delegation to promote Indiana agriculture to Mexico

Crouch will be part of a delegation of agriculture and tourism leaders heading to Mexico to develop economic partnerships and strengthen agricultural ties. Crouch is leading the trip in collaboration with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Indiana Office of Tourism Development and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. An agricultural delegation will spend most of its time in Mexico City, working to strengthen ties and develop new markets for Indiana's agricultural products.
Source: WFYI (NPR radio) on 2024 Indiana Gubernatorial race Jul 2, 2019

  • The above quotations are from National Public Radio election coverage.
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2024 Presidential contenders on Free Trade:
  Candidates for President & Vice-President:
V.P.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.(I-CA)
Chase Oliver(L-GA)
Dr.Jill Stein(D-MA)
Former Pres.Donald Trump(R-FL)
Sen.J.D.Vance(R-OH)
Gov.Tim Walz(D-MN)
Dr.Cornel West(I-NJ)

2024 presidential primary contenders:
Pres.Joe_Biden(D-DE)
N.D.Gov.Doug Burgum(R)
N.J.Gov.Chris_Christie(R)
Fla.Gov.Ron_DeSantis(R)
S.C.Gov.Nikki_Haley(R)
Ark.Gov.Asa_Hutchinson(R)
Former V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
U.S.Rep.Dean_Phillips(D-MN)
Vivek_Ramaswamy(R-OH)
S.C.Sen.Tim_Scott(R)
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