Trump Promises to Withdraw From the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Day One
In a YouTube video outlining plans for his first 100 days in office, US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed that the US will pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership - a trade deal involving 12 Pacific Rim nations - "on day one" of his presidency.
US President-elect Donald Trump, who outlined his plans in a video (watch above) for his first 100 days in office, said: “I'm going to issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a potential disaster for our country.”
He added: “Instead, we will negotiate fair, bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back on to American shores.”
An emphasis on bilateral trade deals may call into question both the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), involving dozens of nations, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Although the latter is between the US and the European Union, the complex political structure of the EU means that effectively 28 nations are involved and can influence the outcome of the deal. This was demonstrated by the dramatic intervention of the Walloon regional government in the signing of CETA, the bloc's trade deal with Canada.
The UK government will doubtless welcome this shift to bilateral trade deals, but one reason why Trump may view them favourably is because it places the US in the driving seat as the larger player. This means that a post-Brexit UK will be in a weak position when it comes to negotiating a deal on its own with the US. For all its many flaws, TTIP has the virtue of a more even balance between the US and the EU, since the two economies are comparable in size.
Read: The Trans-Pacific Partnership is Dead, for Now
During the video message (above) - which lasted less than three minutes - Trump touched on a number of areas that are likely to be of interest to readers. However, his only explicit mention of the digital world was of its darker side: “I will ask the Department of Defense, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, to develop a comprehensive plan to protect America's vital infrastructure from cyberattacks.”
Instead, he emphasised more traditional industries: “Whether it's producing steel, building cars, or curing disease, I want the next generation of production and innovation to happen right here, on our great homeland, America.”
Similarly, for the energy sector, Trump omitted any mention of renewables and signalled a return to fossil fuels. “On energy, I will cancel job-killing restrictions on the production of American energy, including shale energy and clean coal, creating many millions of high-paying jobs.”
The two other areas he dealt with were immigration and “ethics reform.” On the former, he said: “I will direct the Department of Labor to investigate all abuses of visa programmes that undercut the American worker.” A move that is likely to have an impact on US high-tech companies hiring people from abroad.
Finally, Trump promised: “we will impose a five-year ban on executive officials becoming lobbyists after they leave the administration.” Although the effects of that ban will not be felt immediately, in the longer-term the ban could have an impact on how lobbying is conducted for - and against - the computer industry.
Related Article: AAPA Provides Trump Transition Team with Port Industry’s Policy Platform Recommendations
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