Trump Says US Will Not Exit USMCA and Promises ‘Great Relationship With Mexico’

Dublin, Ireland — President Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration is not considering withdrawing from the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and promised the United States will have a “great relationship with Mexico.”

Asked by reporters in Dublin whether Washington was weighing an exit from the trilateral trade pact, Trump replied: “No. Excellent. We’re going to have a great relationship with Mexico.”

Turning to Canada, the third member of the agreement, Trump said he maintains a “good relationship” with that government but argued the United States has been shortchanged for decades in its trade dealings with the country.

Trump said Canada needs American goods and conducts a large share of its trade with the United States. He also accused Canada of taking advantage of US farmers and other industries.

The president said Canada is seeking a new agreement with Washington and wants one “desperately.”

He compared that situation to negotiations he said Iran is also pursuing, though he added that he does not believe Iran is ready to reach a deal.

“But Canada wants to make a deal. I hope Canada appreciates being in the same sentence as Iran,” Trump said.

The remarks came during a two-day visit to Ireland, where Trump met Saturday in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.

Trump Backs a United Ireland

At the start of his visit, Trump said he would “love to see” a united Ireland and called the reunification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland “fantastic.” He said he believes it will eventually happen and could happen now, though he acknowledged that the United Kingdom would have to weigh in.

The island of Ireland has been divided between the Republic of Ireland in the south and Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, since 1921. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, allows for a reunification referendum if the British government determines there is a likelihood that a majority of Northern Ireland’s population would support joining the Republic. Voters in the Republic of Ireland would also have to approve it.

The United States had maintained a neutral stance on the issue. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last month that a referendum on unity was “off the table,” drawing a response from Sinn Féin.

After Trump’s comments, a spokesperson for Burnham’s office at Downing Street pointed reporters to remarks the prime minister made Wednesday in Parliament, when he committed to “respect the Good Friday Agreement 100%.”

Following his meeting with Martin, Trump traveled to his golf course in Doonbeg on Ireland’s west coast to attend the Irish Open tournament.

As the visit unfolded, a protest against Trump drew several thousand people to central Dublin, according to an AFP estimate, including some carrying Palestinian flags.