This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Washington • President Donald Trump on Wednesday told the leaders of Mexico and Canada that he will not pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), just hours after administration officials said he was considering a draft executive order to do just that.
The White House made the surprise announcement in a readout of calls between Trump, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"President Trump agreed not to terminate NAFTA at this time and the leaders agreed to … enable the renegotiation of the NAFTA deal to the benefit of all three countries," said the White House.
The Mexican government confirmed the conversation in a statement issued late Wednesday.
"The leaders agreed on the convenience of maintaining the North American Free Trade Agreement and working together with Canada to carry out a successful renegotiation for the benefit of all three countries," the statement read.
The White House announcement came hours after administration officials said Trump was considering a draft executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the deal.
Some saw the threat as posturing by Trump to gain leverage over Mexico and Canada as he tries to negotiate changes to the deal. Trump railed against the decades-old trade deal during his campaign, describing it as a "disaster."