Amid Secrecy, Rick Perry Retracts Obamatrade Support: ‘I Would Rather Barack Obama Not Be Negotiating for Me’

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry—responding to all the secrecy and the new developments that show Obamatrade is not really free or fair trade—is now turning on the deal after previously supporting it.

In May a spokesman for Perry told Breitbart News that he supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)—one of three largely secretive trade deals that would be fast-tracked by Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). But he’s changed his position.

“I would rather Barack Obama not be negotiating for me right now, but he’s going to be there for about 20 more months, and this deal needs to be transparent, and that’s my greatest concern — is the lack of transparency in this piece of legislation,” Perry said in Iowa, according to the Texas Tribune.

“Until the public and Congress are comfortable that they know what’s in this trade agreement, I’m not going to recommend that they sign it, and if we have to wait until there’s a new president, then that’s OK,” Perry added.

This would supersede Perry’s previous support. Last month his spokesman Travis Considine emailed Breitbart News:

Through Gov. Perry’s leadership, Texas has been the largest exporting state in the country for the past 13 years in a row. Gov. Perry has always supported free trade and its positive impact on economic growth and job creation. He believes America can achieve robust economic growth and job creation, similar to what has occurred in Texas, with trade agreements like the Trans Pacific Partnership.

But by mid-May, Perry began expressing reservations about Congress giving President Obama authority to fast track his trade negotiations, which includes the Trans Pacific Partnership.

Perry now joins most of the 2016 GOP presidential field in opposition to Obamatrade, with only former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) being supportive.

Rubio and Graham, through staff, have continually refused to answer whether read the text of TPP before voting to fast-track it in the Senate. Cruz did read TPP before voting for it.