2016 presidential candidates on international trade
From Ballotpedia
 Date: November 8, 2016 |
Winner: Donald Trump (R) Hillary Clinton (D) • Jill Stein (G) • Gary Johnson (L) • Vice presidential candidates |
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For information about trade under the Trump administration, click here.
The overview of the issue below was current as of the 2016 election.
Despite their differences on international trade as described below, the 2016 presidential candidates found agreement on one issue: the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump opposed the trade deal because they believed it would cause Americans to lose jobs.
See what the 2016 candidates and their respective party platforms said about international trade below.
Interested in reading more about the 2016 candidates' stances on issues related to international trade?
Ballotpedia also covered what the candidates said about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, labor and employment, and taxes.
| OVERVIEW OF CANDIDATE POSITIONS | |
Democratic ticket
Hillary Clinton
- On October 28, 2015, Hillary Clinton called the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank a “no-brainer.” She added, “For the life of me, I don’t understand the arguments [against it]. The Export-Import Bank’s sole purpose is to support United States business abroad."[1]
- Between 2013 and 2015, Clinton gave several paid speeches to financial institutions in the Unites States and abroad. WikiLeaks released alleged excerpts and transcripts from those speeches in October 2016.[2]
- The Clinton campaign declined to verify whether the speeches were authentic.[3]
- Clinton allegedly said in a May 2013 speech that her "dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere."[2]
- At the same event, Clinton also allegedly said, "I think we have to have a concerted plan to increase trade already under the current circumstances, you know, that Inter-American Development Bank figure is pretty surprising. There is so much more we can do, there is a lot of low hanging fruit but businesses on both sides have to make it a priority and it's not for governments to do but governments can either make it easy or make it hard and we have to resist, protectionism, other kinds of barriers to market access and to trade and I would like to see this get much more attention and be not just a policy for a year under president X or president Y but a consistent one."[2]
- For more information about the WikiLeaks release, click here.
- After the Obama campaign attacked Clinton for supporting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the 2008 elections, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor and Clinton biographers Sally Bedell Smith and Carl Bernstein said that Clinton had not supported NAFTA, even though Bill Clinton had. Former Undersecretary of Commerce Robert Shapiro said that Clinton "like everybody else...[was] not supposed to deviate from the position of the administration. There is no freedom of speech in there, and that certainly applies to a first lady." When asked about NAFTA, Clinton said, "I believe in the general principles it represented. But what we have learned is that we have to drive a tougher bargain. Our market is the market that everybody wants to be in. We should quit giving it away so willy-nilly. I believe we need tougher enforcement of the trade agreements we already have."[4]
- In 2005, Clinton voted against the Central America Free Trade Agreement.[5]
Trans-Pacific Partnership
| The Hill, "Clinton punts on trade," May 19, 2015 |
- On July 26, 2016, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said that Clinton would support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal as president if the agreement were revised in some ways. He said, “I worry that if we don’t do TPP, at some point China’s going to break the rules -- but Hillary understands this. Once the election’s over, and we sit down on trade, people understand a couple things we want to fix on it but going forward we got to build a global economy.” When asked if he thought Clinton would support TPP, McAuliffe said, “Yes. Listen, she was in support of it. There were specific things in it she wants fixed.”[9]
- McAuliffe’s spokesman issued the following statement clarifying what the governor told Politico: “While Governor McAuliffe is a supporter of the TPP, he has no expectation Secretary Clinton would change her position on the legislation and she has never told him anything to that effect.”[9]
- Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta weighed in on McAuliffe’s statement, writing in a tweet, “Love Gov. McAuliffe, but he got this one flat wrong. Hillary opposes TPP BEFORE and AFTER the election. Period. Full stop.”[9]
- On July 25, 2016, Clinton adviser Gene Sperlin said that Clinton planned to "put new trade initiatives, including the maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership, in the rear-view mirror if elected and instead focus on 'things that are clear job creators...like infrastructure, immigration reform, higher education relief, family medical leave,'" according to Politico. Sperling added, “What she [Clinton] has said is she is against it [the Trans-Pacific Partnership] now, she is against in the lame duck and she’s against it afterwards, and I do believe that when she starts her administration, she is going to want to be focused on unifying Democrats."[10]
- On May 5, 2016, Clinton said that "she would oppose a vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord during a lame-duck session of Congress," according to The Washington Post. Clinton said, “I oppose the TPP agreement — and that means before and after the election.”[11]
- During a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on March 12, 2016, Hillary Clinton criticized the auto provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. She said, "We can not let rules of origin allow China — or anyone else, but principally China — to go around trade agreements. It's one of the reasons why I oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership because when I saw what was in it, it was clear to me there were too many loopholes, too many opportunities for folks to be taken advantage of."[12]
- During the first Democratic debate, on October 13, 2015, Clinton defended her decision to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal after supporting the pact while she was secretary of state. Clinton said, “You know, take the trade deal. I did say, when I was secretary of state, three years ago, that I hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week, and in looking at it, it didn't meet my standards. My standards for more new, good jobs for Americans, for raising wages for Americans. And I want to make sure that I can look into the eyes of any middle-class American and say, ‘this will help raise your wages.’ And I concluded I could not.”[13]
- On October 7, 2015, Clinton said she does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, putting her at odds with President Barack Obama and his administration. In an interview with PBS Newshour, she said she was concerned that the deal would not do enough to create jobs, raise wages for Americans, and advance national security. “As of today, I am not in favor of what I have learned about it,” Clinton said. She added, “I don’t believe it’s going to meet the high bar I have set.”[14]
- In a June 2015 interview with Jon Ralston of Ralston Reports, Clinton was asked if she would vote for trade promotion authority if she were still in the Senate. Clinton answered, "At this point, probably not because it’s a process vote and I don’t want to say it’s the same as TPP. Right now I’m focused on making sure we get trade adjustment assistance and I certainly would not vote for it unless I were absolutely confident we would get trade adjustment assistance."[15]
- On June 15, 2015, CNN outlined 45 times when Clinton expressed her support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.[16]
- During an April 2015 speech, Clinton said, "Any trade deal has to produce jobs and raise wages and increase prosperity and protect our security," but she did not specifically address whether or not she supported President Barack Obama's Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, a departure from her previous comments in support of the deal.[17]
- In November 2012, during a speech at Techport Australia, Clinton praised the TPP. She said, "This TPP sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade, the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field. And when negotiated, this agreement will cover 40 percent of the world's total trade and build in strong protections for workers and the environment."[18]
| The 2016 Democratic Party Platform on trade | ||||||
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Tim Kaine
- Before he became Hillary Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine expressed tentative support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. In interviews conducted on July 11, 2016, and July 21, 2016, Kaine said he viewed upgrades to labor standards, environmental standards, and intellectual property protections that were part of the deal as favorable, but was troubled by its dispute resolution mechanism. When Kaine agreed to be Hillary Clinton's running mate, he also committed to join Clinton in opposing the trade deal.[21][22]
- On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Kaine was one of 13 Democrats to vote in favor of the bill. After, Senate Republican leadership honored a pledge to support trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by passing the measure as part of HR 1295 - Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 by voice vote. The House passed HR 1295 the following day, on June 25, 2015, and both TPA and TAA were signed into law on June 29, 2015.[23][24][25]
- On May 22, 2015, Kaine voted with 13 other Democratic senators to approve HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015." The bill passed with a vote of 62-37 and proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). TPA, also known as fast track authority, allows the president to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. Congress casts a simple up or down vote on a trade agreement, and the legislation only requires a simple majority for approval. The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. President Obama signed the bill into law on November 2, 2015.[26][27]
- Kaine was a co-sponsor of the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2014, introduced in the Senate on July 30, 2014. While the bill did not advance in the Senate, it would have reauthorized the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which lends to foreign buyers to make U.S. exports competitive, through FY2019. The Export-Import Bank was later reauthorized as part of a transportation bill, signed into law on December 4, 2015. Kaine supported this legislation; it passed the Senate with a vote of 83-16.[28][29][30][31]
Trans-Pacific Partnership
- During an interview on August 7, 2016, NBC's Chuck Todd said Tim Kaine "essentially switched" his position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when Hillary Clinton asked him to join her campaign. Kaine disagreed with Todd's assessment, saying, "I haven’t switched my position. I was a strong supporter a year ago of giving President Obama the ability to negotiate a trade deal. But I said at the time, when that deal was done and on the table, I was going to look at it very carefully. And I even expressed a very serious concern I had with how it was developed, which is that companies were given rights to enforce provisions, but the labor and environmental provisions could not be effectively enforced. That was never fixed. I've asked again and again to understand this piece of the TPP. And I've never gotten a good answer. We can't have a deal that cannot be enforced. And so, for that reason, yeah, I'm going to oppose it in the lame duck if it comes up after Election Day."[32]
- The Huffington Post reported on July 22, 2016, that after Clinton named Kaine as her running mate, "Kaine had told the former secretary of state that he would oppose President Barack Obama’s signature trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, in its current form. [An] aide said that at some point in Kaine and Clinton’s two conversations prior to the selection ― which she made Friday night, eight days after the first meeting ― he agreed with her that a trade deal had to meet certain criteria on protecting wages and national security, and that the TPP did not."[33]
| CNN, "Tim Kaine on why he opposes TPP," July 31, 2016. |
- In interviews conducted on July 11, 2016, and July 21, 2016, Kaine said he viewed upgrades to labor standards, environmental standards, and intellectual property protections that were part of the TPP as favorable, but he added that he was troubled by its dispute resolution mechanism. He said, "I am having discussions with groups around Virginia about the treaty itself. I see much in it to like. I think it's an upgrade of labor standards. I think it's an upgrade of environmental standards, I think it's an upgrade in intellectual property protections. I do see at least right now that there is one element that I do have some very significant concerns about. And that is the dispute resolution mechanism. And I've got a lot of concerns about that. But long before there would be a vote on that I'm trying to climb the learning curve on the areas where I have questions. So again, much of it I see I think as a significant improvement over the status quo. The dispute resolution mechanism I still have some significant concerns about."[34][35]
- In an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, on May 16, 2015, Kaine explained his pro-trade stance and why he planned to vote for TPA, adding that his support for TPA was not a guarantee that he would vote for the TPP. He wrote, "All agree that trade, under the right conditions, benefits our economy. The question is whether we can negotiate deals that protect workers’ rights, environmental standards and intellectual property, while knocking down tariffs and other barriers that some countries erect to keep American products out. If we don’t insist upon high standards, the other dominant global trade actor, China, will be perfectly happy to compete under a low-standard regime that will further damage our economy. After much discussion with labor, agriculture and business leaders, I will support TPA because it gives the U.S. the best chance of elevating the standards for global trade in ways that will level the playing field for our workers, farmers and companies. My support for TPA is not a blind endorsement of any pending trade negotiation. Once we establish our key principles, I will make sure that the specifics of any final deal are placed before the public and fully debated to see if they meet our standards and help Virginia. We have to make sure that any deal can be enforced and that any workers negatively affected by trade have robust job retraining opportunities. I am pro-trade, but I’m pro-Virginia first."[36]
- Shortly before Congress passed TPA, Kaine said in a statement on May 14, 2015, "I refused to allow consideration of trade legislation until the Senate passed strong enforcement measures. As we prepare to take up major trade initiatives in the coming months, my biggest priority is ensuring we can negotiate enforceable deals that protect workers' rights, environmental standards and intellectual property, while eliminating barriers that some countries erect to keep American products out."[37]
Republican ticket
Donald Trump
- During a Meet the Press interview on July 24, 2016, Trump discussed trade, saying that he would “impose tariffs — in the range of 15 percent to 35 percent — on companies like Indiana-based Carrier, which is moving its operations to Mexico,” according to The Hill. Trump said, “If they're going to fire all their people, move their plant to Mexico, build air conditioners, and think they're going to sell those air conditioners to the United States, there's going to be a tax.” Todd then said that “the import-tariff plan wouldn't pass muster at the WTO.” Trump replied, “Then we're going to renegotiate or we're going to pull out. These trade deals are a disaster. You know, the World Trade Organization is a disaster.”[38]
- In a speech delivered on June 28, 2016, Donald Trump explained how he would change America’s “failed trade policy” by rejecting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, appointing the best trade negotiators, renegotiating and potentially withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and labeling China a currency manipulator. In his prepared speech, titled “Declaring American Economic Independence,” Trump warned his supporters that “Hillary Clinton, and her campaign of fear, will try to spread the lie that these actions will start a trade war. She has it completely backwards. Hillary Clinton unleashed a trade war against the American worker when she supported one terrible trade deal after another – from NAFTA to China to South Korea. A Trump Administration will end that war by getting a fair deal for the American people. The era of economic surrender will finally be over. A new era of prosperity will finally begin. America will be independent once more.”[39]
- Donald Trump said on February 18, 2016, that he would send cease and desist letters to China, Mexico and other U.S. trade partners for “ripping us off.” He added, “And when I say cease-and-desist orders, maybe it'd be equivalent. Maybe I'll do it with my mouth."[40]
- Trump advocated for fair trade and called NAFTA “a disaster” on September 27, 2015. “We will either renegotiate it or we will break it because you know every agreement has an end,” said Trump.[41][42]
- In a statement released to The Daily Caller in May 2015, Trump criticized the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying, "Yet again, the politicians are allowing our president to reinforce the lack of respect countries like China and Japan now have for the United States. They will devalue their currency, exploit our trade agreements, continue to destroy our economy and put Americans out of work. Politicians are all talk and no action. Instead of fast tracking TPP, Congress should pass legislation that holds China and Japan accountable for currency manipulation. This would send a message to the world that there are consequences for cheating the United States."[43]
- Trump released a radio ad in May 2015 recommending Congress reject trade promotion authority. Trump said, "I learned a long time ago, a bad deal is far worse than no deal at all. And the Obama Trans-Pacific Partnership and fast track are a bad, bad deal for American businesses, for workers, for taxpayers. It’s a huge set of hand outs for a few insiders that don’t even care about our great, great America. Congress has to stand up and defeat this raw power grab. With the dismal Obama track record, why should a Republican Congress give him more power and gut the Constitution to do it? It’s just crazy. Tell your congressmen and senators, vote no on fast track."[43]
- On April 22, 2015, Trump tweeted, "The Trans-Pacific Partnership is an attack on America's business. It does not stop Japan's currency manipulation. This is a bad deal."[44]
- At the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2011, Trump described himself as "a fair trade believer" who "loves open markets."[45]
Trans-Pacific Partnership
- After Hillary Clinton announced Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as her vice president, Trump tweeted the following on July 23, 2016: "Tim Kaine has been praising the Trans Pacific Partnership and has been pushing hard to get it approved. Job killer!" Washington Examiner reported that "Kaine assured Clinton before being picked for the VP spot that he opposes the TPP in its current form."[46]
- On June 30, 2016, Trump said that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP) "will make NAFTA, in my opinion, look like a baby. ... Trans-Pacific Partnership — it's over 5,000 pages long — every country that's in that partnership has studied every word, every comma, every sentence, every paragraph; our guys probably haven't even read it. This is the way we do business." Trump then criticized Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton for their involvement in past free trade deals, according to The Hill. Trump said, "Hillary Clinton understood and backed, and Bill Clinton certainly as the president, initiatives — they are a disaster, and now they want to go into TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership. ... We have to get smart, folks."[47]
- On June 28, 2016, Trump said, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is another disaster done and pushed by special interests who want to rape our country — just a continuing rape of our country. It’s a harsh word, but it’s true.”[48]
- In a speech titled "Declaring American Economic Independence," delivered on June 28, 2016, Trump criticized the TPP and Clinton for changing her stance on the trade deal. Trump said, "The TPP would be the death blow for American manufacturing. It would give up all of our economic leverage to an international commission that would put the interests of foreign countries above our own. It would further open our markets to aggressive currency cheaters. It would make it easier for our trading competitors to ship cheap subsidized goods into U.S. markets - while allowing foreign countries to continue putting barriers in front of our exports. The TPP would lower tariffs on foreign cars, while leaving in place the foreign practices that keep American cars from being sold overseas. The TPP even created a backdoor for China to supply car parts for automobiles made in Mexico. The agreement would also force American workers to compete directly against workers from Vietnam, one of the lowest wage countries on Earth. Not only will the TPP undermine our economy, but it will undermine our independence. The TPP creates a new international commission that makes decisions the American people can't veto. These commissions are great Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street funders who can spend vast amounts of money to influence the outcomes. It should be no surprise then that Hillary Clinton, according to Bloomberg, took a 'leading part in drafting the Trans-Pacific Partnership'. She praised or pushed the TPP on 45 separate occasions, and even called it the 'gold standard'. Hillary Clinton was totally for the TPP just a short while ago, but when she saw my stance, which is totally against, she was shamed into saying she would be against it too – but have no doubt, she will immediately approve it if it is put before her, guaranteed. She will do this just as she has betrayed American workers for Wall Street throughout her career. Here’s how it would go: she would make a small token change, declare the pact fixed, and ram it through. That’s why Hillary is now only saying she has problems with the TPP 'in its current form,' – ensuring that she can rush to embrace it again at her earliest opportunity. If the media doesn’t believe me, I have a challenge for you. Ask Hillary Clinton if she is willing to withdraw from the TPP her first day in office and unconditionally rule out its passage in any form. There is no way to 'fix' the TPP. We need bilateral trade deals. We do not need to enter into another massive international agreement that ties us up and binds us down."[49]
- In an op-ed from March 14, 2016, Trump explained his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP). He wrote, “The number of jobs and amount of wealth and income the United States have given way in so short a time is staggering, likely unprecedented. And the situation is about to get drastically worse if the Trans-Pacific Partnership is not stopped. One of the first casualties of the TPP will be America’s auto industry, and among the worst victims of this pact will be the people of Ohio. The TPP will send America’s remaining auto jobs to Japan. Yet, Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio have all promoted the Trans-Pacific Partnership — a mortal threat to American manufacturing. … TPP is the biggest betrayal in a long line of betrayals where politicians have sold out U.S. workers. America’s politicians — beholden to global corporate interests who profit from offshoring — have enabled jobs theft in every imaginable way. They have tolerated foreign trade cheating while enacting trade deals that encourage companies to shift production overseas.”[50]
- During the Fox Business/Wall Street Journal Republican debate on November 10, 2015, Trump said that although he is a "free trader," he does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP). Trump said, "The TPP is horrible deal. It is a deal that is going to lead to nothing but trouble. It’s a deal that was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone. It’s 5,600 pages long. So complex that nobodies [sic] read it. It’s like Obamacare; nobody ever read it. They passed it; nobody read it. And look at mess we have right now. And it will be repealed. But this is one of the worst trade deals. And I would, yes, rather not have it. With all of these countries, and all of the bad ones getting advantage and taking advantage of what the good ones would normally get, I’d rather make individual deals with individual countries. We will do much better. We lose a fortune on trade. The United States loses with everybody. We’re losing now over $500 billion in terms of imbalance with China, $75 billion a year imbalance with Japan. By the way, Mexico, $50 billion a year imbalance. So I must say, Gerard, I just think it’s a terrible deal. I love trade. I’m a free trader, 100 percent. But we need smart people making the deals, and we don’t have smart people making the deals."[51]
- When asked if there were "particular parts of the deal that you think were badly negotiated," Trump replied, "Yes. Well, the currency manipulation they don’t discuss in the agreement, which is a disaster. If you look at the way China and India and almost everybody takes advantage of the United States — China in particular, because they’re so good. It’s the number-one abuser of this country. And if you look at the way they take advantage, it’s through currency manipulation. It’s not even discussed in the almost 6,000-page agreement. It’s not even discussed. And as you understand, I mean, you understand very well from the Wall Street Journal, currency manipulation is the single great weapon people have. They don’t even discuss it in this agreement. So I say, it’s a very bad deal, should not be approved. If it is approved, it will just be more bad trade deals, more loss of jobs for our country. We are losing jobs like nobody’s ever lost jobs before. I want to bring jobs back into this country."[51]
- In a statement to Breitbart on October 5, 2015, Trump questioned congressional support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. He asked, "Why are we striking trade agreements with countries we already have agreements with? Why is there no effort to make sure we have fair trade instead of ‘free’ trade that isn’t free to Americans? Why do we not have accompanying legislation that will punish countries that manipulate their currencies to seek unfair advantage in trade arrangements? Why has the Congress not addressed prohibitive corporate tax rates and trade agreements that continue to drain dollars and jobs from America’s shores?”[52]
- On October 5, 2015, Trump criticized TPP in the following tweet:
| The 2016 Republican Party Platform on international trade | ||||||
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Mike Pence
- During an interview with Laura Ingraham on July 28, 2016, Mike Pence explained why he no longer supports the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Pence said, "Throughout my career I have strongly supported free trade in measures that came before the Congress, and when I was asked to support free trade initiatives as the governor of Indiana, I supported them. But, frankly, we're on the verge of electing one of the best negotiators in the world as President of the United States of America, and as Donald and I sat down and talked, he talked to me about questioning the wisdom of these multi-country trade agreements – that, when they're not working out the way NAFTA is clearly not working out, they're very difficult to unwind. He said to me, you know, look – he's for free trade, I'm for free trade deals on a country by country basis. Let's work out deals that work for the people of the United States. I'm completely convinced that there is wisdom in that. Let's deal with countries individually. With the TPP, you know, it feels a little bit like Obamacare. You remember when Nancy Pelosi said, 'We've got to pass this bill so we can find out what's in it.'"[54][55]
- On April 10, 2015, Pence sent a letter to Indiana's congressional delegation asking them to vote for trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, and the The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). He wrote, "As you know, my administration has made job growth job number one. We passed the largest state tax cut in Indiana history, lowered the corporate income tax, reduced the regulatory burden, and have taken numerous other measures to improve the business environment and the education and workforce skills of Hoosiers. Those are things we can do at home, but reducing tariffs and other trade barriers so that Indiana businesses can enjoy increased market access and fairly compete on the world stage is something that Congress must do. I encourage your support for Trade Promotion Authority, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and any other trade-related measures when they are brought before the Congress for consideration."[56]
- On September 8, 2014, Pence tweeted: "Trade means jobs, but trade also means security. The time has come for all of us to urge the swift adoption of the Trans Pacific Partnership."[57]
- Mike Pence voted for free trade agreements with Panama and Korea in 2011, Peru in 2007 and Chile and Singapore in 2003.[58][59][60][61][62]
- Pence voted for H.R.3045 - the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act in 2005.[63]
- Read more of Mike Pence's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.
Green ticket
Jill Stein
- During a third party debate in October 2012, Jill Stein rejected the expansion of free trade agreements. Stein said, "So, we saw the first free trade agreement, NAFTA, enacted under Bill Clinton, a Democrat. We saw it carried out under George Bush, but then we saw Barack Obama expand three free trade agreements and is now negotiating a secret free trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that will continue to offshore jobs, undermine wages, and, as well, this time compromise American sovereignty with an international corporate board that can rule on our laws and regulations and say whether or not they pass muster. This is an absolute outrage against American sovereignty, democracy and our economy."[64]
- In 2012, Stein said, "A free trade agreement is free if you're a corporation. But if you're a human being, it's extremely costly because it undermines wages here and also in the countries that we're in agreement here with. It allows a lot of dumping of cheap U.S. goods. That's what generated the whole wave of undocumented immigrants into this country."[65]
Trans-Pacific Partnership
- On July 9, 2016, Jill Stein criticized the Democratic Party for not opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal in their platform. She tweeted, "It is shameful that the the [sic] Democratic Party cannot bring itself to reject the #TPP which puts corporations over people. #DemPlatform."[66]
- On June 22, 2016, Stein tweeted, "Purpose of TPP is to ⬆️ profits for corporations & ⬇️ wages for workers. We need just trade policies that benefit all. #LibertarianTownHall."[67]
- On May 9, 2016, Stein tweeted, "We must stop the sovereignty-stealing TPP & TPIP. Existing corporate trade agreements like NAFTA must be replaced w/ fair trade agreements."[68]
| "Flush The TPP," March 24, 2015. |
- On March 24, 2015, Stein released the ad, "Flush the TPP." In the ad, she said, "If you think corporate personhood is a bad idea, just wait for corporate nationhood. In fact right now, the Obama administration and bipartisan supporters are trying to ram through Congress a secret global deal, the Trans Pacific Partnership or TPP. This backroom deal gives corporations more power than nations. It lets multinational corporations, foreign powers, overrule our laws including critical protections for workers, our health and the environment. For the safety of our food, our air and our water, the security of our bank accounts, our access to the Internet and so much more; it even overrides the Constitution. People call it NAFTA on steroids because it intensifies the offshoring of our jobs and the downward pressure on wages. It enforces this new world governance by creating a special global court, consisting of three super-judges appointed by the World Bank. In short the TPP is a Trojan horse for a global corporate coup."[69]
- During a debate in October 2012, Stein called the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal "an absolute outrage against American sovereignty, democracy and our economy." She said, "So, if the question is how to stop the outsourcing of our jobs, you know, it’s very clear we need to stop expanding the free trade agreements that send our jobs overseas and which also undermine wages here at home by effectively threatening workers that if they don’t drop their wages and their benefits, that their jobs are gone. So, we saw the first free trade agreement, NAFTA, enacted under Bill Clinton, a Democrat. We saw it carried out under George Bush, but then we saw Barack Obama expand three free trade agreements and is now negotiating a secret free trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that will continue to offshore jobs, undermine wages, and, as well, this time compromise American sovereignty with an international corporate board that can rule on our laws and regulations and say whether or not they pass muster. This is an absolute outrage against American sovereignty, democracy and our economy. We need to turn the free trade agreements into fair trade agreements. And again, the Green New Deal will create the community-based jobs we need here, supporting small businesses, worker co-operatives, and public services and worker—and public works to put people back to work right now, for the cost—less than the cost of the first stimulus package."[70]
| The 2016 Green Party Platform on international trade | ||||||
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Ajamu Baraka
Trans-Pacific Partnership
| Your World News, Ajamu Baraka on the "Trans Pacific Partnership & Obama Disillusionment," June 30, 2015 |
- Calling it an "assault on U.S. workers and democracy," Ajamu Baraka wrote on May 12, 2015, "The TPP is just one of measures the elite hopes to conclude using Barack Obama – their most effective weapon since Ronald Reagan for convincing the middle-class and working people to support policies that are objectively against their interests. Like the North American Free-trade Agreement ( NAFTA) concluded under Bill Clinton that promised jobs, balanced economic growth and prosperity but instead created economic devastation in the agricultural sector of Mexico and the loss of jobs in the U.S., the TPP promises more of the same but on a grander scale. If concluded, the TPP will continue the process of concentrating economic power in the hands of U.S. based transnational corporations and financial institutions. And while the 1% who have no allegiance to any national territory or state will grow richer, the agreement will pit workers in the U.S. — especially Black and Brown workers — into cut-throat competition with exploited workers, this time in Asia, who will be paid slave wages to produce for the U.S. and European markets – this agreement producing increased exports from the U.S. is a blatant lie. That is why for African Americans as the group that objectively has suffered more than any other group domestically as a result of the turn toward neoliberal globalization in the 1970s and the economic crisis in 2008, we should reject all neoliberal proposals, be it in the form of Obama’s phony urban 'promise zones' to trade agreements. Opposition to neoliberal trade agreements, like broad opposition to neoliberal capitalism in general must be embraced as fundamental for our resistance movement and survival as a people."[72]
- In a May 21, 2015, post on his website, Baraka explained why African Americans should oppose the TPP. He wrote, "Opposition to the TPP and free-trade must be seen as one front in the resistance to further U.S. imperialist consolidation. ... African American oppose the TPP because we understand that the workers in Vietnam, who will be primarily women, are being primed for super-exploitation under the terms of that agreement. We understand that under North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), millions of farmers were driven from their land in places like Oaxaca, Mexico and ended up landless urban dwellers in Mexico or working for slave wages as undocumented workers in the U.S. We oppose the TPP because neoliberal free trade between the U.S. and Colombia has resulted in the accelerated loss land for Afro-Colombians as their lands are stolen for illegal mining and the corporate expansion of palm oil and sugar cane processing for bio-fuel production for the markets in Europe and the U.S. And even though the elites of those countries who are part of the agreement prostrate themselves before Uncle Sam, we oppose the TPP in the name of the people of the global South. For those who might ask why African Americans would question and oppose free trade agreements, we point to history and say that if there any people on the planet who should question so called free trade it should be the descendants of the people victimized by the most barbaric trade regime in the history of the planet."[73]
- Read more about Ajamu Baraka.
Libertarian ticket
Gary Johnson
- During an interview with Fox Business Network’s Charles Payne on July 28, 2016, Gary Johnson discussed free trade. Johnson said, “Free trade is the opposite of crony capitalism. Free trade needs to be promoted in a really big way. Diplomacy, that’s what we ought to be engaged in. I reject the fact that libertarians are isolationists – Donald Trump is [an] isolationist… we want free trade to prevail.”[74]
- In a March 2011 interview, Gary Johnson said that although he supported free trade, most free trade agreements at the time were products of "corporatism." He said that "the criticism of NAFTA should be rooted in the fact that big business became even bigger business."[75][76]
Trans-Pacific Partnership
- On July 27, 2016, Bill Weld, Gary Johnson's running mate, said that he and Johnson supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and free trade in general. Weld said, “We’re the only free trade ticket in the race.” He added, “I’m convinced TPP is good policy. I’m not sure that the rank-and-file members in Congress agree with Mr. Trump on that. Until quite recently, you thought of the Republican party as the free trade party. It’s just Mr. Trump that’s gone off the reservation. … [The TPP] brings us in under the rubric, under the tent of a free trade area with 11 nations…in Asia that does not include China. So it’s almost like an informal economic alliance with those 11 countries. So it’s more than a beachhead - it’s planting the flag, economic flag big-time in Asia, and that’s worth a lot to us.”[77]
- Weld also praised former President Bill Clinton for getting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) approved. Weld said, “That was done with Republican votes and Bill Clinton pulled it off, and I think it was an enduring part of his legacy.” When asked about Trump and Sanders' opposition to NAFTA, Weld said, “I say that they’re mistaken and President Bill Clinton was right. Free trade, over the years, has served the United States very well. We are the most productive country in the world per worker, and that means where there’s [flat] free trade we’re always going to get more high-wage jobs. … Trump is saying let’s throw free trade in the wastebasket, let’s have a closed economy. Somebody should lend this guy a set of history books. That was tried in the 20s, and it led to the Great Depression.”[77]
- During an interview on July 3, 2016, Johnson told CNN that he would sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership if elected. Johnson said, "I'm being told [by advisors] that the Trans-Pacific Partnership would, in fact, advance free trade, and so I would support that document."[78]
- During an interview on June 6, 2016, with Politico's Glenn Thrush, Johnson said, "Would I have signed or implemented the Trans-Pacific Partnership? I've got to tell you, I think it's laden with crony capitalism. Free market really is the answer. It's the answer to unifying the whole planet, in my opinion, and if China wants to subsidize the goods that it sells to the United States, who benefits from that? Well, we do. And at the end of the day, who pays for any sort of tariffs? We do. So free trade, genuine free trade, that's another one of Trump's--you know, hey, he says 'I'm all for free trade' but then, in the next sentence, he says, 'I'm going to force Apple to make their iPads and their iPhones in the United States.' Hm, that sounds really free trade to me."[79]
| The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform on free trade | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Bill Weld
- As a member of the law firm of Mintz Levin in New York, Weld advised clients on international government strategies and business transactions. Before joining Mintz Levin, Weld consulted on international business in mining, energy, and technology for a large international law firm.[81]
- While governor of Massachusetts in the 1990s, Weld led 16 official trade missions to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.[81]
Trans-Pacific Partnership
| Bloomberg Politics, Bill Weld on TPP, June 16, 2016. |
- During an interview with The Washington Times on July 27, 2016, William Weld said that he and Gary Johnson were supporters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and free trade in general. Weld said, “We’re the only free trade ticket in the race. ... I’m convinced TPP is good policy. I’m not sure that the rank-and-file members in Congress agree with Mr. Trump on that. Until quite recently, you thought of the Republican party as the free trade party. It’s just Mr. Trump that’s gone off the reservation. … [The TPP] brings us in under the rubric, under the tent of a free trade area with 11 nations … in Asia that does not include China. So it’s almost like an informal economic alliance with those 11 countries. So it’s more than a beachhead - it’s planting the flag, economic flag big-time in Asia, and that’s worth a lot to us.”[77]
- Weld also praised former President Bill Clinton for getting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) approved. Weld said, “That was done with Republican votes and Bill Clinton pulled it off, and I think it was an enduring part of his legacy.” When asked about Trump and Sanders’ opposition to NAFTA, Weld said, “I say that they’re mistaken and President Bill Clinton was right. Free trade, over the years, has served the United States very well. We are the most productive country in the world per worker, and that means where there’s [flat] free trade we’re always going to get more high-wage jobs. … Trump is saying let’s throw free trade in the wastebasket, let’s have a closed economy. Somebody should lend this guy a set of history books. That was tried in the 20s, and it led to the Great Depression.”[77]
Withdrawn candidates
Democrats
- Lincoln Chafee on international trade
- Lawrence Lessig on international trade
- Martin O'Malley on international trade
- Bernie Sanders on international trade
- Jim Webb on international trade
Republicans
- Jeb Bush on international trade
- Chris Christie on international trade
- Ted Cruz on international trade
- Carly Fiorina on international trade
- Lindsey Graham on international trade
- Mike Huckabee on international trade
- Bobby Jindal on international trade
- John Kasich on international trade
- George Pataki on international trade
- Rand Paul on international trade
- Rick Perry on international trade
- Marco Rubio on international trade
- Rick Santorum on international trade
- Scott Walker on international trade
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 2016 presidential candidates international trade. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "Clinton: Export-Import Bank renewal a 'no-brainer'," October 28, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 WikiLeaks, "HRC Paid Speeches," accessed October 11, 2016
- ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "The inherent peril in trusting whatever WikiLeaks dumps on us," October 13, 2016
- ↑ Huffington Post, “Did Hillary Clinton Really Support NAFTA? Aides, Biographers Say No," May 25, 2011
- ↑ Bloomberg, “U.S. Senate Approves Central American Trade Agreement (Update1)," June 30, 2005
- ↑ Vote Smart, “HR 2739 - U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - Key Vote," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ Vote Smart, “HR 2738 - U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - Key Vote," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ Vote Smart, “HR 5684 - U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation - Key Vote," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Politico, "Clinton friend McAuliffe says Clinton will flip on TPP, then walks it back," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Clinton backers look to close ranks on trade," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Clinton does not back Obama trade vote in post-election congressional session," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Clinton steps up anti-TPP rhetoric," accessed May 2, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated," October 12, 2015
- ↑ PBS Newshour, "Hillary Clinton says she does not support Trans-Pacific Partnership," October 7, 2015
- ↑ Ralston Reports, "Hillary Clinton on 'Ralston Live,' with video and transcript," June 18, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "45 times Secretary Clinton pushed the trade bill she now opposes," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Hillary Clinton praises President Obama, but not on trade," accessed May 12, 2015
- ↑ State.gov, "Remarks at Techport Australia," accessed May 12, 2015
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ CBS News, "Tim Kaine changes course on TPP after VP nod," July 23, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Kaine praised TPP as recently as Thursday," July 22, 2016
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Roll Call for HR 2146," June 24, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate approves fast-track, sending trade bill to White House," June 24, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Obama signs trade bills," June 29, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1314," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 1314 (Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act)," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2709," accessed August 3, 2016
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 22," accessed August 3, 2016
- ↑ PBS, "Stop pretending you know what the Export-Import Bank is," September 15, 2014
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Export-Import Bank: Frequently Asked Questions," April 13, 2016
- ↑ PolitiFact, "Tim Kaine says he hasn't changed his position on Trans-Pacific Partnership (unlike Clinton)," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Hillary Clinton Names Tim Kaine As Her Running Mate," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ CBS News, "Tim Kaine changes course on TPP after VP nod," July 23, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Kaine praised TPP as recently as Thursday," July 22, 2016
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Kaine: Virginia is a global gateway," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ Daily Press, "With Kaine and Warner support, trade bill moves ahead," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Trump suggests leaving WTO over import tax proposal," July 24, 2016
- ↑ DonaldJTrump.com, "Declaring American Economic Independence," June 28, 2016
- ↑ Business Insider, "TRUMP: I'd 'send cease-and-desist letters to China and Mexico'," February 18, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Trump threatens to 'break' trade pact with Mexico, Canada," September 26, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Donald Trump: American Needs 'fair trade,' not 'free trade,'" September 27, 2015
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 The Daily Caller, "Donald Trump To Blast Obama Trade Pact In Radio Ads: ‘A Bad, Bad Deal’," May 6, 2015
- ↑ CNN Money, "Donald Trump slams Pacific free trade deal," April 23, 2015
- ↑ Human Events, "Donald Trump at CPAC: America Will Be Respected Again," February 10, 2011
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Trump uses TPP to smack Kaine," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Trump: TPP will make NAFTA 'look like a baby,'" accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Trump vows to cancel Asia trade deal as president — and puts NAFTA on notice," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ DonaldJTrump.com, "Declaring American Economic Independence," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ USA Today, "Donald Trump: Disappearing middle class needs better deal on trade," accessed May 17, 2016
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 Time, "Transcript: Read the Full Text of the Fourth Republican Debate in Milwaukee," accessed May 2, 2016
- ↑ Breitbart, "Donald Trump declares war on Obamatrade: 'Time to send a real businessman' to White House to end this," October 5, 2015
- ↑ Republican Party, "The 2016 Republican Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ LifeZette, "Pence Says Trump Will Kill TPP," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ KSGF.com, "Free trade warrior Mike Pence now 'questions the wisdom' of TPP, NAFTA," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ Indiana.gov, "Governor Pence Urges Congressional Delegation to Support Trade Promotion Authority and Trade Agreements," accessed May 13, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Mike Pence," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.R.2738,” accessed April 1, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.R.2739,” accessed April 1, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.R.3080,” accessed April 1, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.R.3079,” accessed April 1, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.R.3688,” accessed April 1, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.R.3045,” accessed April 1, 2015
- ↑ Democracy Now, "Exclusive: Expanding the Debate with Third-Party Candidates Jill Stein, Virgil Goode, Rocky Anderson," October 17, 2012
- ↑ Green Party, "Jill Stein, 'Wake Up'," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Jill Stein," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Jill Stein," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Jill Stein," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ P2016.org, "Jill Stein for President: Flush the TPP," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ Democracy Now, "Exclusive: Expanding the Debate with Third-Party Candidates Jill Stein, Virgil Goode, Rocky Anderson," October 17, 2012
- ↑ Green Party, "The 2016 Green Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ AjamuBaraka.com, "Stopping the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a 'Black Issue,'" accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ AjamuBaraka.com, "The Political Economy of Black Opposition to Free-Trade Neoliberalism," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ Fox Business Network, "While Jill Stein Rallies Sanders Supporters, Gary Johnson Keeps ‘Low Profile’," July 28, 2016
- ↑ Scribd, "Club for Growth: 2012 Presidential White Paper #9," July 21, 2011
- ↑ YouTube, "Former NM Gov. Gary Johnson On the Issues," March 24, 2011
- ↑ 77.0 77.1 77.2 77.3 The Washington Times, "Bill Weld: Libertarian Party 'the only free trade ticket in the race,"' accessed July 27, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "only" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "only" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ CNN, "Gary Johnson: Trump says 'racist' things and should be disqualified from presidency," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Full transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews Gary Johnson," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ 81.0 81.1 Mintz Levin, "William F. Weld," accessed October 4, 2016
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