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President Donald Trump took to social media to whine about who negotiated a deal allowing Canada to supply energy to the U.S. — but, it turns out, he made the deal.
Amidst the trade tariffs back-and-forth with Canada and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who suspended the province’s 25 percent electricity surcharge on three U.S. states Tuesday, Trump fumed on Truth Social: “Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area?”
“Who made these decisions, and why?” the president demanded.
The decision to maintain the free flow of energy across the borders was part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and negotiated by Trump in November 2018 during his first term. It was signed into law in January 2020.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
The trade deal replaced the North America Free Trade Agreement, which Trump branded a “nightmare” at the time.
“America’s great USMCA Trade Bill is looking good. It will be the best and most important trade deal ever made by the USA,” Trump boasted on Twitter, now X, in December 2019. “Good for everybody – Farmers, Manufacturers, Energy, Unions – tremendous support. Importantly, we will finally end our Country’s worst Trade Deal, NAFTA!”
For more than a century, the U.S. and Canada have traded electricity. The agreement negotiated by Trump’s first administration said it “fully updates, modernizes and rebalances the NAFTA to meet the challenges of the 21st century economy,” a government fact sheet on the deal issued at the time states.
The adminstration claimed it would allow American workers, farmers, ranchers, businesses and enterprises to “share in the benefits” of the agreement.
A White House press release dated January 29, 2020, lauded the deal as “a historic win for American workers.”
“The USMCA is the largest, most significant, modern and balanced trade agreement in history,” Trump said in the official statement. “All of our countries will benefit greatly.”
The agreement is due for renewal in 2026. Ford is set to meet with Trump’s Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, Thursday to “discuss a renewed USMCA ahead of the April 2 reciprocal tariff deadline.”
Five years after negotiating the trade deal, Trump appears to have changed his mind after launching into an aggressive trade war with America’s neighbors.
Before Ford backtracked on the 25 percent electricity surcharge on Michigan, New York and Minnesota, the president threatened to double the 25 percent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Had the surcharge gone into effect, it could have increased electrical bills by $100 per month, Ford said.