In a press conference mostly focused on reports that Russian intelligence may have compromising information about Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect also took aim at “disaster” trade deals.
In a question about his nominee for Secretary of State, Trump told reporters gathered in Washington, D.C., that he plans to get better trade deals in place.
“Our trade deals are a disaster,” Trump said. “We have hundreds of billions of dollars of losses on a yearly basis with China on trade and trade imbalance -- with Japan, with Mexico, with just about everybody.”
Trump did not mention America’s biggest trading partner: Canada.
Conrad Black, a presidential biographer and Trump supporter, told CTV’s Power Play that he doesn’t believe Trump has any grievances against Canada.
“His problem’s with Mexico,” Black said. “Of course there’s always some frictions with Canada but I don’t think there will be any more with this president than previous ones and we’ll work them out.”
Maryscott Greenwood, a Clinton supporter and expert in Canada-U.S. relations, told Power Play that she agrees with Black that “the guns were not aimed at Canada” when Trump spoke on trade.
“What the president-elect wants to do is grow the economy and create lots more jobs in the United States,” she said. “In order to do that, exports really help. Well who’s our biggest export partner? It’s Canada. So literally millions of American jobs are dependent on our relationship with Canada … I think the president-elect and his team are beginning to understand that.”
Greenwood praised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his decision to appoint Chrystia Freeland to foreign affairs post, with the added responsibility of Canada-U.S. trade relations.
Black said he agrees that Freeland is a praiseworthy choice for the portfolio, and “very able” at a time when there are some “extremely unimaginative foreign ministers.”
