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Undated: Free trade is a policy followed by some international markets in which countries' governments do not restrict imports from, or exports to, other countries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_trade

Undated: Free trade is international trade left to its natural course without tariffs, quotas, or other restrictions.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/free_trade

-- 2016 --

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July 25: [Trump] is unequivocal on his position: He would renegotiate NAFTA and impose a 35% tariff, a tax on imports, from Mexico. Or, he'd rip up the trade agreement entirely.

With China, Trump says he would impose a 45% tariff on Chinese imports.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/07/25/donald-trump-trade-policies-china-mexico/87521852/

November 16: During his campaign Trump vowed to secure U.S. energy independence from “our foes and the oil cartels,” while also creating “complete American energy independence."

However, on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's oil minister fired back. Khalid Al-Falih, also the chairman of Aramco, said in an interview that “at his heart President-elect Trump will see the benefits [of Saudi oil imports] and I think the oil industry will also be advising him accordingly that blocking trade in any product is not healthy.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/timdaiss/2016/11/16/no-saudi-oil-says-trump-saudi-arabia-fires-back/#3e6a601620fe

-- 2017 --

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January 6:
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO) website, based on 2014 data, the U.S. has an average applied tariff of 3.51 percent for all products being imported from other WTO members (known as the most-favored nation, or MFN, tariff). This is the maximum tariff that the U.S. promises to impose on imports from other WTO members, averaged across all industries. For other nations that the U.S. has a free-trade agreement, such as Canada and Mexico through NAFTA, tariffs are typically lower and in some cases, zero. Mr. Trump is basically advocating for a tenfold increase in the average import tariffs that are already in place. [As of 2017, no WTO member is imposing import tariffs that are anything near 35 percent] ...
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/01/06/trumps-trade-policy-protecting-american-workers-at-the-expense-of-american-consumers/

January 25: Will Donald Trump mean the end of global trade?

For decades there has been a consensus that globalisation brought more jobs, higher wages and lower prices - not just for richer countries but also for developing and poorer nations.

But there is now a growing movement of anger as people see jobs being taken by machines, old industries disappearing and waves of migration disturbing the established order.

Global trade flows are falling and trade deals are being ripped up.

The new US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese goods, accusing the country of economically "raping" the US.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38731812

February 7: GOP Plan to Overhaul Tax Code Gets Held Up at the Border ...

Linchpin of potential legislation is a concept known as ‘border adjustment,’ which is splitting the business world into competing camps
https://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-plan-to-overhaul-tax-code-gets-held-up-at-the-border-1486485339

March 18: The world's biggest economies have dropped a long-standing public endorsement of free trade at their first meeting with the Trump administration.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/18/news/economy/g20-trade-protectionism-trump-germany/index.html

March 24: The Trump administration is preparing new executive orders to re-examine all 14 U.S. free trade agreements and review government procurement policies to aid American companies, two administration officials said.
http://fortune.com/2017/03/24/trump-executive-order-trade-deal/

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April 26: President Donald Trump told the leaders of Canada and Mexico Wednesday he was not immediately planning to end the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact which he railed against as a candidate and as recently as last week declared was harmful to US workers.

... Trump's decision to remain in NAFTA came the same day a senior administration official revealed the White House was considering an executive order to withdraw from the trade accord.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/26/politics/trump-nafta/index.html?adkey=bn

April 29: President Trump [is] directing a review of U.S. involvement in NAFTA and other free trade agreements and creating a permanent trade policy office at the White House.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/04/29/100-days-trump-order-review-free-trade-agreements-commerce/101066150/

July 7: The growing international isolation of the United States under President Trump was starkly apparent Friday as the leaders of major world economies mounted a nearly united opposition front against Washington on issues ranging from climate to free trade [with] tough clashes with the United States and even talk of a possible transatlantic trade war
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/at-g-20-eu-warns-of-trade-war-if-trump-imposes-restrictions-on-steel/2017/07/07/0ffae390-62f4-11e7-a6c7-f769fa1d5691_story.html?utm_term=.8aecd639d467

July 10:
Trump boosts free trade — outside the US

Europe and Japan secure landmark deal that seemed a long shot before US president’s election.
https://www.politico.eu/article/trump-boosts-free-trade-outside-the-us/

July 27: The Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders have ditched a controversial border-adjusted tax proposal as part of an effort to present a united front for a broad tax overhaul.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tax-reform-border-20170727-story.html


September 2: President Trump has instructed advisers to prepare to withdraw the United States from a free-trade agreement with South Korea, several people close to the process said, a move that would stoke economic tensions with the U.S. ally as both countries confront a crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program [a move opposed by top aides]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/02/trump-plans-withdrawal-from-south-korea-trade-deal/?utm_term=.5f66233b01a5

September 5: ... congressional leaders overseeing trade are calling on the White House to pursue further discussions instead of pulling out of a pact with an important economic and geopolitical partner [South Korea], particularly at a time of heightened tensions in the Korean peninsula.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-south-korea-trade-agreement-20170905-story.html

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October 3: Trade tensions between the North American neighbors have escalated in recent months, with spats over jet planes, timber and dairy. President Trump, meanwhile, has thrown into doubt the future of NAFTA, the free trade deal that links the two countries and Mexico.

In a filing with the World Trade Organization -- made public on Monday -- the U.S. accuses Canada of unfair restrictions on the sale of foreign wine in British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province and a big wine-producing region.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/03/news/economy/us-canada-wine-trade/index.html

November 3: Trade Policy Under President Trump: Implications for the US and the World

If a new trade policy framework can be developed, Trump’s presidency could offer a chance to move the debate forward and actually strengthen global trade by addressing some genuine shortcomings within the current system.
https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/trade-policy-under-president-trump-implications-us-and-world?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_oL7w_bC2QIVRrbACh1jDALtEAAYASAAEgLAqPD_BwE

November 17: Republicans’ beliefs are bending to Trump. Here’s why they might not even notice.

We don’t often remember when we change our minds.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/11/17/16585982/psychology-memory-polls-trump

November 28: Free Trade Agreement Pros and Cons
https://www.thebalance.com/free-trade-agreement-pros-and-cons-3305845

December 29: Why Did Donald Trump Kill This Big Free Trade Deal? ... one of Trump’s “America First” policies is the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

TPP is a free trade agreement by 12 nations that have coastlines on the Pacific. 800 million people live in these countries, and they make up 40 percent of the world’s GDP. Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (who are the key players of the South China Sea dispute) have signed this deal.

Many believe that Trump’s withdrawal from the TPP can benefit both the U.S. and China, because both the S&P 500 and the Shanghai Composite Index reacted positively once the U.S. had pulled out.

Former president Barack Obama and other TPP supporters believed that this deal could have helped the United States increase its influence over Asia-Pacific while countering China’s growth in power.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterpham/2017/12/29/why-did-donald-trump-kill-this-big-free-trade-deal/#1e0e8ec4e627

-- 2018 --

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January 9: Trump-Loving Farmers Let Him Know That They Love Free Trade Too

They loved President Donald Trump at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in Nashville, cheering during his speech and praising his policies. Well, most of them.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-09/trump-loving-farmers-let-him-know-that-they-also-love-free-trade

January 11: Trump is trying to dismantle free trade.

That’s almost impossible.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-trying-to-destroy-free-trade-thats-almost-impossible/2018/01/11/18a1fa8a-f578-11e7-b34a-b85626af34ef_story.html?utm_term=.310472192091

January 15: America Last? EU says Trump is losing on trade
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-trade/america-last-eu-says-trump-is-losing-on-trade-idUSKBN1F425S

January 22: Trump gets a lot wrong about free trade, but so do most people

A trade deficit doesn’t make an economy smaller than it would be without one, nor does a trade surplus make it larger. This is such a common mistake that we see it in newspaper reports about trade figures all the time. Things like “a larger trade deficit was a drag on GDP” and so on, something which is just flat out untrue.

Economists really are right about this: Trade deficits just don’t really matter. And we’d have better economic and trade policy if people understood this simple point.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-gets-a-lot-wrong-about-free-trade-but-so-do-most-people/article/2646718

January 23: The world is pressing ahead with big multilateral free trade deals despite opposition from President Trump.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal that Trump ditched in January 2017 has been revived by the remaining 11 nations, who will work towards signing it in early March.

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Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Singapore and the other nations wrapped up negotiations on the deal after two days of talks in Tokyo.

"The agreement reached in Tokyo today is the right deal," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Today is a great day for Canada, but it's also a great day for progressive trade around the world."

The revised deal is called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/23/news/economy/trade-deal-tpp-agreement/index.html

January 24: Trump’s America First Policy Is Still ‘Absolutely’ Committed to Free Trade, Treasury Secretary Says
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-america-first-trade-treasury-789548

January 24: China Piles Up Free Trade Deals as Trump Abandons Them

Just as the U.S. throws up new barriers to cross-border commerce, its largest trading partner China is redoubling its efforts to seal free-trade agreements.

From deals with blocs including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to bilaterals with tiny countries like Maldives, China’s FTAs already cover 21 countries. That compares with the 20 countries covered by U.S. agreements. More than a dozen additional pacts are being negotiated or studied, according to the Ministry of Commerce. 

While President Donald Trump this week imposed tariffs on solar panels and washing machines, underscoring his America first outlook, China is hoping for a "bumper year" for new trade deals, according to the Commerce Ministry.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-24/china-wants-to-rack-up-free-trade-deals-as-trump-tramples-them

January 25: Yes, Trump’s Against Free Trade. That Doesn’t Mean He’s For Good Jobs.

What would a progressive alternative to the TPP and NAFTA actually entail?
https://www.thenation.com/article/yes-trumps-against-free-trade-that-doesnt-mean-hes-for-good-jobs/

January 26: The UK must lead on free trade with Trump in the White House
http://brexitcentral.com/uk-lead-free-trade-trump/

January 27: Trump seeing the light on free trade? Perhaps
http://www.france24.com/en/20180127-trump-seeing-light-free-trade-perhaps

January 28: 'We are all Davos men now': Free trade triumphs despite Trump's trade tantrums
https://www.smh.com.au/world/we-are-all-davos-men-now-free-trade-triumphs-despite-trumps-trade-tantrums-20180127-h0p4xb.html

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February: Trump Administration Sends Annual Trade Agenda Report to Congress
https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2018/february/trump-administration-sends-annual

February 20: The Trump administration is moving toward scoring an “own goal” on the American economy with its current trade strategy in Asia. Just as when one scores a goal for an opponent in soccer, an “own goal” in international trade occurs when a country takes actions that harm itself and advantage its competitors.

The focus of the Trump administration’s trade agenda in Asia has been on negotiating bilateral free trade agreements, securing greater balance in trade with China, and renegotiating the U.S.-Republic of Korea (KORUS) free trade agreement. So far, the record is negative and trending worse.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/02/20/time-to-rethink-u-s-trade-strategy-in-asia/

February 22: Australian Trade Hangs in the Balance as Turnbull Meets Trump
https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/australian-trade-hangs-balance-turnbull-meets-trump

February 23: Free trade groups write open letter to Trump condemning steel import tariffs ... Six free trade advocacy groups wrote an open letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday urging him not to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from overseas.

The groups, who favor limited government and free enterprise and swing to the right on economic issues, called the economic case for the recently proposed import restrictions "weak" and warned that, rather than help protect American jobs, it would significantly hurt them.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/23/free-trade-groups-condemn-steel-import-tariffs-in-letter-to-trump.html

February 22: Trump’s war on NAFTA is already taking a heavy toll on U.S. farmers

As Mexico begins to look for imports elsewhere, working families suffer.
https://thinkprogress.org/nafta-fallout-trump-caab3aeab96b/

February 23: Trump Says U.S. Re-Entering Pacific Trade Deal a ‘Possibility’
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-says-u-entering-pacific-194420973.html

August 27: The United States and Mexico have reached a preliminary agreement resolving key bilateral trade issues.

Under the current law, about 62% of the parts in any car sold in North America must be produced in the region or automakers have to pay import taxes.

The agreement between the two countries could restart negotiations on NAFTA with all three parties -- the United States, Mexico and Canada.

In May, the United States imposed steep tariffs on steel and aluminum from much of the world, including Mexico. In response, Mexico slapped tariffs on $3 billion of US goods, including steel, pork, apples, potatoes, bourbon and different types of cheese. Canada imposed tariffs on $12.5 billion of US goods, including steel, toffee, maple syrup, coffee beans and strawberry jam.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/27/politics/mexico-us-trade-deal/index.html

August 27: Canada said ... it would only sign a new NAFTA if it benefited the country and its middle class, despite showing optimism for progress the U.S. and Mexico made on a bilateral agreement of their own.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/us-mexico-reach-new-trade-agreement

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August 27: U.S. and Mexican negotiators worked through the day Sunday to conclude their talks, which focus primarily on autos that will be accepted without tariffs in the United States. The agreement provides that 85 percent of the parts in the car must be made in North America to be considered for tariff-free imports.

Trump had demanded a rewrite of NAFTA, claiming that Mexico was stealing jobs and taking advantage of the previous NAFTA agreement, citing the fact that Mexico enjoyed a $63.6 billion trade surplus with the United States in 2017.

Critics pointed out that much of that surplus came from cars that were assembled from parts made in the U.S. and Canada, but the total car price was included in the bilateral Mexican-U.S. trade figures.

By requiring higher content made in the U.S. and Canada, the new trade deal may fractionally increase employment in the U.S., but most of these factory jobs have now been taken over by robots.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/charleswallace1/2018/08/27/trump-secures-a-trade-deal-with-mexico/#4d4beee37806

August 27: To hear President Donald Trump tell it on Monday, the United States is abandoning the NAFTA free trade deal between the US, Canada and Mexico in favor of a bilateral agreement between the US and Mexico. And possibly a second bilateral deal with Canada.

But none of that is happening.

There is no formal free trade deal between the US and Mexico, only an agreement between the two countries on how to resolve key issues in their trade relationship as part of the NAFTA talks. The US trade representative's office officially described the agreement as "a preliminary agreement in principle ... to update the 24-year-old NAFTA with modern provisions representing a 21st century."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/27/politics/trump-nafta-deal/index.html

October 3: Free-trade groups urge Trump to drop tariffs on Canada, Mexico
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/3/free-trade-groups-urge-trump-drop-tariffs-canada-a/?utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=chacka&utm_campaign=TWT+-+DSA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZDf86eH3wIV9x6tBh1aCwF3EAMYAyAAEgL8QvD_BwE

October 19: Angela Merkel defies Trump, defends free trade at EU-Asia meeting

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has rebuked the "America First" approach to free trade of US President Donald Trump. Meeting in Brussels, European and Asian leaders have pledged to create "win-win" situations.
https://www.dw.com/en/angela-merkel-defies-trump-defends-free-trade-at-eu-asia-meeting/a-45956338

November 27: BMW Still Preaches Free Trade as Trump Tariff Threat Lingers
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-27/bmw-keeps-preaching-free-trade-as-trump-tariff-threat-lingers

November 30: USMCA: Trump Signs New Trade Agreement With Mexico And Canada To Replace NAFTA
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672150010/usmca-trump-signs-new-trade-agreement-with-mexico-and-canada

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December 1: How Trump is rewriting Bush’s trade legacy

Bush expanded free trade. Now Trump is shrinking it.

Late President George H.W. Bush leaves behind an extensive and long-lasting trade legacy, from NAFTA to initial deals with China, much of which has been under attack by President Donald Trump.

Coincidentally, Bush, who negotiated the original North American Free Trade Agreement over 25 years ago, died on the same day that Trump signed the deal to replace it.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-donald-trump-nafta-trade-1006041

December 3: Donald Trump v the world: US tariffs in four charts

Donald Trump has agreed not to escalate his trade war with China, but many other countries have also been affected by the US president's America First trade policy.

From Spanish olives to Canadian steel, no corner of the world has been untouched by US trade tariffs - a tax on foreign products - since President Trump entered the White House.

Along the way, he has rewritten the rule book for how the US goes about the process of protecting its domestic trade.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45415861

December 4: He Said, Xi Said: U.S., China Have Different Recollections Of Trump-Xi Trade Talks

“China has agreed to reduce and remove tariffs on cars coming into China from the U.S. Currently the tariff is 40%,” his tweet said.

It’s doubtful that Xi agreed to any such thing, because World Trade Organization rules forbid a country from imposing differential tariffs. If China eliminated its tariffs on American cars, it would have to eliminate its tariffs on all other countries’ cars. Trump and Kudlow apparently don’t know this. But Japanese, Korean and German car companies know it and would be thrilled to have duty-free access to the Chinese car market.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the two governments had agreed to talk further about reducing all tariffs, and about other trade issues, but said nothing about any agreement to reduce car tariffs uniquely.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbrinkley/2018/12/04/he-said-xi-said-u-s-china-have-different-recollections-of-trump-xi-trade-talks/#269e19862a2b

December 4: Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the second-most senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, said Tuesday that President Trump should not tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement as promised if Congress does not approve the revised trade agreement the administration negotiated with Canada and Mexico.

“In my view that would be a big mistake, very disruptive of the economy,” said Hoyer at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council conference in Washington, D.C.

Trump has suggested he could halt the landmark free trade agreement and restore tariffs that were ended by NAFTA if Congress doesn’t approve his new agreement.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/top-democrat-big-mistake-for-trump-to-tear-up-nafta

-- 2019 --

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-- 2020 --

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