Michael Hernandez
27 April 2017•Update: 27 April 2017
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
President Donald Trump on Wednesday told his Mexican and Canadian counterparts he will not unilaterally pull the U.S. out of a mutual free trade but will renegotiate the pact.
In late afternoon calls with Mexico's Enrique Pena and Canada's Justin Trudeau that the White House described as "pleasant and productive", the leaders agreed to "proceed swiftly" on new talks in line with internal national requirements.
"It is my privilege to bring NAFTA up to date through renegotiation," Trump said in a statement.
"It is an to deal with both President Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Trudeau, and I believe that the end result will make all three countries stronger and better,” he added.
The American president has long assailed the North American Free Trade Agreement, pledging on the campaign trail to renegotiate or withdraw Washington from the regional economic pact.
He has gone so far as to call NAFTA the worst trade deal in U.S. history, and reports earlier Thursday cited anonymous officials saying that Trump was readying to pull the U.S. out of the agreement.
