Republican U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump has announced a new protectionist trade policy centered on the economic independence of the country.
In an economic policy speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump criticized free trade deals pursued by the Democratic administrations, such as the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement(FTA) and the North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA), calling them a failure.
Trump said he will take measures to correct the policies if he is elected president, such as pulling out of the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership.
He also vowed to appoint the “toughest and smartest” trade negotiators to fight for American workers and renegotiate the NAFTA to get a better deal.
He particularly blamed his Democratic rival Hilary Clinton on pushing for the passage of South Korea-U.S. FTA when she was serving as State Secretary, accusing it of doubling America’s trade deficit with South Korea and wiping out 100-thousand jobs in the U.S.