One of the best moves made by President Donald Trump was exiting the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a cronyist, government-managed trade deal that benefited special interests. The Trump administration was lauded by many conservatives and libertarians for ditching the trade pact.
Well, about a year after abandoning the TPP, the administration is reconsidering getting back into the 11-nation trade agreement, reports MarketWatch.
President Trump has reportedly asked his top economics advisers to look into potentially re-entering TPP negotiations. Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, and Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council (NEC), have been ordered to study the TPP to determine if the terms and conditions were favorable to the U.S.
Trump apparently made the remarks in front of a group of lawmakers.
During the 2016 election, Trump repeatedly slammed the TPP, calling it a move “to rape our country.” He was right.
Most of the public was unaware of the contents of the deal until WikiLeaks published 2,000 pages (SEE: Why everyone should be afraid of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)). It consisted of global governance, Internet controls, corporate regulations, and other leftist goodies.
Liberty Nation wrote about it in November:
For unions, it makes it difficult for non-union labor to compete against unionized labor by amplifying the power of unions in all of the participating nations. American and Canadian unions were upset over the TPP, but primarily because it does not proffer union membership enough protection.
For corporations, if a government decides to build a hospital in the close proximity of a private hospital, then the proprietor of the private hospital can sue taxpayers because of expected loss in future profits. Also, U.S. businesses would be prohibited from filing a lawsuit against the state; only multi-national corporation (MNCs) would be afforded this luxury.
For politicians, they can curtail any and all Internet freedoms, a prospect they have salivated over for so many years. As per the TPP, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) would be legally required to monitor and police your Internet activities, and they would be given the authority to censor content and limit access to user-generated content.
Why is Trump suddenly excited about the TPP? MW writes:
The president’s new openness toward the TPP, which he had said during his campaign was a deal “pushed by special interests who want to rape our country,” comes as he is facing criticism from farmers for his escalating trade battle with China. After Trump took aim at China with new steel and aluminum tariffs, Beijing responded by announcing it would place penalties on a list of agricultural products that would affect swaths of the president’s political base.
Come on, Trump. You should know better. If Hillary Clinton calls it the “gold standard” of trade deals then watch out!
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