Poll: 72 Percent of Republicans Support Trump Renegotiating NAFTA

A new poll from Morning Consult revealed that 72 percent of GOP voters support President Donald Trump renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The survey found that a plurality of American voters, or 48 percent, back efforts to renegotiate NAFTA, while 72 percent of Republicans, 35 percent of Democrats, and 43 percent of Independents support renegotiating the NAFTA agreement.

The survey arises as the United States, Canada, and Mexico aim to finish negotiations on a revised NAFTA agreement before Mexico’s July 1 elections.

President Trump has taken a tough approach towards NAFTA negotiations, suggesting that tariffs will only expire if the three North American countries sign a “new and fair NAFTA agreement.”

Critics of NAFTA contend that the free trade deal has hollowed out America’s manufacturing sector, while free trade proponents argue that the agreement has increased economic growth and created jobs in other areas of the economy.

Trump called NAFTA a “bad deal for the U.S.A.”

Meanwhile, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton argued that Trump might spark a “trade war” with his tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum.

“Now he’s launching a trade war with tariffs, with no thought to it,” Hillary said in March.

A majority of Americans in a recent poll suggested that the United States should take a tougher stance on Mexico until the country works harder to stop illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from coming into the country.

A plurality of voters, or 32 percent, believe that NAFTA has been a net positive impact on the American economy, compared to 35 percent in a June 2017 survey.

Among GOP voters, suburban and urban voters mostly favor a renegotiated NAFTA at 80 and 72 percent respectively, compared to 68 percent of rural voters back Trump’s efforts to renegotiate NAFTA.

“Canada must treat our farmers much better. Highly restrictive,” Trump wrote in March. “Mexico must do much more on stopping drugs from pouring into the U.S. They have not done what needs to be done. Millions of people addicted and dying.”