Originally Posted by ksauers1
I’d like to know who made all these trade agreements where we got poked in the butt?

During Trump's first term, he pulled this same maneuver, including the verbiage about immigrants. And the apparent point, back then, was to try and gain leverage over Canada and Mexico. The result was an updated version of NAFTA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which did not actually change very much. Still, it was enough for Trump to declare victory and drop the tariffs, conveniently forgetting the stuff about immigrants.

However, while some things are the same as 2018, there are also some pretty big differences. First, he's been a lot louder about the immigration bit this time, and has also added fentanyl to the mix. (The interesting thing about fentanyl is that it's not a normal commodity; not so easy to control or tax something that's being smuggled in - if it were taxable, it shouldn't be a problem in the first place.) These changes will not be as easy to dismiss as it was the first time around. Secondly, the trade deal he was unhappy about last time was the work of the George H.W. Bush administration. The trade deal he's unhappy about now was the work of the Donald J. Trump administration. Is it really plausible he can do better this time than last time? Third, as the U.K. and France can tell you, appeasement can only go so far. Trudeau (and his replacement) and Sheinbaum will both be very well aware that this is the second time they've danced this dance, and there are still 4 years left in Trump's term. If they grant him concessions now, can they really believe he won't go to the trade war well again in a year or two? They may well decide that they need to hold the line now.

https://www.bing.com/images/blob?bcid=rOwnYsftgxAI3Q

"it's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards."
lewis carroll, Alice in Wonderland