Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden said the United States, Mexico, Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiated under President Donald Trump was “better” than NAFTA, which it replaced, and Biden voted for as a senator on Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Something else he did was renegotiated NAFTA.”
Biden said, “He did.”
Tapper continued, “When you ran for president and Barack Obama ran for president, you both said you would renegotiate NAFTA. Nancy Pelosi said the USMCA what President Trump signed into law is a, quote, victory for America’s workers. Does he deserve credit for that?”
Biden said, “No. Remember, he wasn’t the one that pushed that particular one that passed. The House amended the bill.”
Tapper said, “He signed it.”
Biden said, “It’s a big deal. They amended it. He was giving Pharma a way out, a gigantic break the way he’s doing now with Pharma. They are building overseas and getting tax breaks for it. That’s what it was about with him. They said we’re not going to do that.”
Tapper said, “He renegotiated NAFTA, and you didn’t is the point.”
Biden said, “Because we had a Republican Congress that wouldn’t go along with us renegotiating.”
Tapper said, “Doesn’t he deserve some credit for that? It’s better, USMCA ‘Is Better than NAFTA.”
Biden shot back, “It is better than NAFTA. But look what the overall trade policy has done even with NAFTA. We now have this gigantic deficit in trade with Mexico. Not because NAFTA wasn’t made better, because overall trade policy and how he deals with it made everything worse.”
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