Surprise NAFTA Survival Spawns Multiple Theories, Many Involving Jared Kushner
- 7 years ago
When President Trump opted for NAFTA negotiation over abandonment, rumors began to emerge about what or who changed his mind.
Right around President Trump’s 100th day in office, rumors about his intention to pull the U.S. out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, began to circulate, reports the National Post.
When he opted for negotiation over abandonment, more rumors began to emerge but have been focused on what or who changed his mind. All involve the discussions President Trump reportedly had with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
In many, Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior adviser to President Trump, reportedly played a leading role.
According to the Canadian Press, which cites inside sources, Kushner called Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford on April 26 and told her something along the lines of, “Trump has a free moment, right now, to speak about NAFTA.” The news agency notes that after the prompting, Trudeau made the call.
Canada’s National Post doesn’t name names, but says, “According to Canadian government sources, White House advisers pushing a more cautious approach then called Ottawa to ask for Trudeau’s assistance.”
However, President Trump’s public statement on what transpired doesn’t mention Kushner.
Trump said of the decision at a rally in Pennsylvania, “Two people that I like very much, the president of Mexico, prime minister of Canada, they called up, they said, can we negotiate? I said, yes, we can renegotiate. So we’ll start a renegotiation.”
He also noted at a recent press briefing, "...if I'm unable to make a fair deal for the United States, meaning a fair deal for our workers and our companies, I will terminate NAFTA. But we're going to give renegotiation a good, strong shot."
Right around President Trump’s 100th day in office, rumors about his intention to pull the U.S. out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, began to circulate, reports the National Post.
When he opted for negotiation over abandonment, more rumors began to emerge but have been focused on what or who changed his mind. All involve the discussions President Trump reportedly had with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
In many, Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior adviser to President Trump, reportedly played a leading role.
According to the Canadian Press, which cites inside sources, Kushner called Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford on April 26 and told her something along the lines of, “Trump has a free moment, right now, to speak about NAFTA.” The news agency notes that after the prompting, Trudeau made the call.
Canada’s National Post doesn’t name names, but says, “According to Canadian government sources, White House advisers pushing a more cautious approach then called Ottawa to ask for Trudeau’s assistance.”
However, President Trump’s public statement on what transpired doesn’t mention Kushner.
Trump said of the decision at a rally in Pennsylvania, “Two people that I like very much, the president of Mexico, prime minister of Canada, they called up, they said, can we negotiate? I said, yes, we can renegotiate. So we’ll start a renegotiation.”
He also noted at a recent press briefing, "...if I'm unable to make a fair deal for the United States, meaning a fair deal for our workers and our companies, I will terminate NAFTA. But we're going to give renegotiation a good, strong shot."