"On trade, I am going to issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a potential disaster for our country," he said. "Instead, we will negotiate fair, bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back onto American shores." The Republican billionaire's victorious campaign successfully tapped the anger of working-class American voters who feel left behind by years of globalization, vowing to protect American jobs against cheap labor in countries like China and Mexico. The president-elect had vowed both to scuttle the TPP -- President Barack Obama's signature trade initiative -- and renegotiate NAFTA. US Trade Representative Michael Froman warned last week that scrapping the trans-Pacific trade deal would have "serious" strategic and economic costs.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 22, 2016 00:43 UTC